Raccoon City High
by Sumi Arana
Summary: AU- Pairings: Steve/Claire & Leon/Ada & Jill/Chris & Rebecca/Billy & Alexia/Alfred & Brad/Sherry. Rated for Language and Sexual Content, Lemons in later chapters - The entire Resident Evil Cast as high school kids in an alternate universe. Updated 12/18
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Resident Evil and the characters in this fan fiction belong to Capcom and the company and whatnot. I do not own anything except for this fan fiction.

Author's Notes: Alright, this is just the prologue to my lame-ass named Resident Evil Highschool fanfiction. Mmmkay, so I really tried to get all of the characters just as they'd strike me. So sorry if I offended you or something in any way. Enjoy! Reviews would be wonderful.

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The clock in the hallway read three o' clock, and only a handful of students were left in the otherwise empty halls. Claire Redfield, on her way to meet her brother and their friends at the Raccoon City Mall, stopped at her locker to gather her books for the weekend. She set her backpack on the ground, deep red and hand decorated with the words _Let Me Live _scrawled across the top in yellow paint.

She wore a red tank top that ended right above her navel, her jeans were tight and low cut, hugging every curve of her hips and thighs. A silver star shaped piercing rested against her flat stomach. Her brown leather boots had a slight heel that helped shape her already round backside. She piled her books into her bag, zipping it up and shouldering it as she closed her locker.

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Alexia examined herself in the full length mirror, making sure every detail was perfect. Her black broomstick style skirt hung from her waist, flowing to her ankles where it ended with frayed edges. Her purple top clung to her skin, her black vest hugging closely to her body. Her long blonde hair hung past her shoulders. She stood several inches taller than her twin brother, thanks to her five inch pumps. Her long fingers were decorated in delicate black lace, her tips the only thing peeking out.

Her lips were a pale pink, her eyelids covered in silver glitter and lined with black eyeliner. Not a single blemish was on her skin, making it resemble a porcelain doll's. Around her neck glittered a rather large ruby cabochon choker, made of genuine velvet, of course.

She smiled at her reflection, putting on the finishing touch; something that she hated to leave the house without, her tiara. It was made of white gold and gleaming white sapphires. It guaranteed attention anywhere she happened to go. As the heiress of a multi-million dollar pharmaceutical company, she wanted to be treated like a princess.

There was a knock at the door, and she turned to face the visitor. She smiled, her white teeth gleaming.

Her twin brother, Alfred, stood in the doorway. He smiled back at her.

"You look beautiful today, Alexia."

There was almost a sneer from the girl. "I know. I always do. But you, on the other hand..."

Alfred blinked rapidly, peering down at himself. It was a pair of ripped jeans and a somewhat loose t-shirt. It wasn't that bad. But he was used to Alexia making him change clothes when they went out together.

"What do you want me to wear?" He asked, steeping into the room.

The girl paused, turning and disappearing into the huge walk-in closet. She returned moments later, holding up some clothes for her brother.

"First, this shirt." She held up a red, silk button-up shirt. "Yours is so...ill-fitting." she tossed it to him.

Alfred caught it, running the soft, fluid-like material through his fingers.

"Now." Alexia continued, holding up a pair of yellow jeans. "These will bring out those eyes of yours." She tossed the jeans to him now.

The boy hesitated before nodding, turning to leave to try them on. He was always so devoted to his sister, doing whatever she asked – or usually, demanded. He never questioned her. Or disobeyed. He loved to please her.

When he returned, donning the somewhat peculiar outfit, Alexia seemed very content.

"When are we to meet the others at the mall, Alfie?" Alexia asked, slipping on some red ruby jewelery. Alfred glanced to the clock, counting silently to himself before answering.

"Uh, about half an hour, why?"

"We have_ got _to do something about your hair. I am not leaving this house with you looking like you have not gone to a salon in weeks."

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Chris walked hand in hand with his girlfriend as they strolled past the stores in the mall. They were alone for now, having come early for that very reason.

His hair was neatly slicked back, sitting neatly on the top of his head. The metal dog tags clinked together with each step he took. The sleeves were ripped off his camouflage shirt showing his toned arms; he was toned but not overly buff. His pants were a simple beige, and his shoes black.

"Hey, legs check out here." He tugged on Jill's hand, heading towards the arcade. Jill sighed, but followed, deciding a few minutes in the arcade wouldn't be so bad.

Chris tugged Jill in, looking around for something fun to play. She followed with a shake of her head.

"Oh hey, lets play this one." He pointed to a game with the name DEADLY SILENCE blinking in red lights. Two guns were sticking out from metal slots on the front of the machine.

Jill cocked an eyebrow, looking to Chris. "This? A shooting game?"

"A zombie killing game!" Chris pointed enthusiastically to the opening movie which began to roll.

The brunette gave a hesitant sigh, but nodded, moving to grab one of the guns as Chris put the coins in.

The game began and they were going down the halls of an old mansion. Badly rendered 3D zombies were popping out from behind corners.

Chris seemed to be having a bit of trouble keeping his gun straight, while Jill was doing perfectly well.

When the game was over, Chris grumbled under his breath, a little embarrassed and disappointed that he didn't get to impress his girlfriend.

Jill smiled at him, brushing a tuft of her short hair from her face.

"Now I get to take_ you _somewhere." She grabbed his hand, leading him out of the dark arcade.

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Being the first two to arrive together at the designated rendezvous point, Leon and Ada were in the food court. Leon was munching on some French fries and drinking down a chocolate milk shake, while Ada was eating as mall Cesar salad with a diet soda.

Leon, though currently dating Claire, spent any of his free time with Ada, probably too much time. He enjoyed being with her in more than one way, but he was sure to keep it quiet. He enjoyed having a woman on the side, he wasn't about to let it be ruined.

Ada watched Leon from behind a pair of designed sunglasses. He was a perfect target for her. Cute, but dumb. Popular, but trusting. Not to mention, not bad in the sack...

She sipped her soda, wondering how long they had alone together before someone came and ruined it...

Leon found himself staring at Ada's chest. She wasn't wearing a bra beneath her red halter top, he could tell. Her red skirt was short, only came to about mid thigh, and ended in cute ruffles. She wore black fishnet stockings and knee high red boots. On her lap rested her leather jacket, a gift from her former boyfriend, as most of her pricier posessions were.

Leon wore a blue and yellow letterman Jacket. He played football for the high school team, the stars. His pants were simple, just jeans. He didn't care much about what he wore.

"Leon," Ada licked her upper lip slowly in an attempt to get the boy to pay attention to her. It always worked.

"Huh?" He looked up and she smiled at him.

"What are you thinking?"

"About you, babe." He gave a toothy grin.

Ada smiled. That was exactly what she wanted to hear. She had complete control over him, and she _loved _it.


	2. Hasty Meetings

Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil or any of the characters. :/

Author's Notes: Uhh, yeah. So this is the first chapter. Hope you like it! Reviews are welcome.

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On his hasty retreat from school, Steve bumped into a tall girl. His books tumbled to the pavement, his energy drink splashing all over her chest.

He apologized immediately, looking around for something to help clean up the sticky mess with.

To his surprise, as he looked up at the girl, she wasn't upset. She was disappointed, but she wasn't upset. At least, she didn't look it.

"Oh no..." Claire frowned, glancing at her now soaked tank top.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He fumbled through his backpack, hoping to find a spare shirt or a towel or _anything._

Claire frowned to herself. "It's my fault, I wasn't paying attention..."

Steve stopped, blinking slowly. "What?"

"I wasn't paying attention where I was going." She repeated, digging in her own backpack now.

Steve shook his head, silent for a moment. "I should've been more careful."

"No, it's fine.. I'll just have to make a little detour on my way to the mall."

Steve finally found a spare shirt, wrinkled and covered in dust, and shoved it at her. "Here."

"Oh..." She smiled softly. "Thanks..." She glanced around.

"L-Listen," Steve started, looking up to her but avoiding her eyes. "If you want, my house is right around the corner, a-and I can wash your shirt for you..."

She glanced to the clock hanging on the outside of the school. It read past 3:00. She knew she would be late already, so what would be the harm of taking his offer?

"Alright." She smiled. "Do you have a car?"

He shook his head. "I'm not old enough to drive."

"We can take my motorcycle." She slipped on the baggy shirt, plucking at it lightly as it clung to her sticky skin.

Steve bent, eyes averted to the ground as he fumbled to pick up his books. "Okay...I'm really sorry, again..." He shoved his books into his bag, keeping his eyes on the task at hand and refusing to look up at her.

She smiled this time. "It's okay. Stop apologizing."

He grabbed his things, holding them close to his body as he watched her, waiting for her to lead him to her motorcycle.

Claire walked him to her motorcycle, handing him the helmet. "Here, put it on."

"Why me? You're the one that should be careful."  
"Just wear it." She sighed, a little exasperated.

The boy jammed it on his head, glancing around. "It's weird."

She straddled her cycle, making Steve blush as he focused on the girl's behind, traveling down her long, shapely legs. He shook his head, glad his face was hidden behind the helmet for now.

"Where do I sit?"

"Behind me." She murmured, starting to get a little impatient as she felt her shirt start to dry to her skin, making it highly uncomfortable.

"B-behind you?"

"Come on."

Steve hesitated, but sat down on the leather seat as Claire started up the engine. He wrapped his arms around her slowly, unsure if this was right. He'd seen people in his video games like this, but usually it was the woman who rode "bitch." But he wasn't complaining, it meant a chance for him to sit like this with his arms around her pretty little waist. Nope, no complaining here.

Steve pulled his keys from his pockets when they arrived at his house, getting off of the motorcycle as he pulled the helmet off. It had messed up his hair, and he wasn't very happy. He ran his fingers through his hair, fixing it to the way it was. The auburn hair was pushed off to one side and was absent of styling products.

Claire unstraddled her bike as well, brushing off the seat of her pants as her new companion moved towards the door.

"Are your parents home?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I don't live with my parents. Why?" He murmured, fumbling with his keys.

"I just wondered if they would think it's weird that you brought home a random girl, is all." She walked up behind him, adjusting her knapsack.

Almost instantly upon opening the door, there were several dogs barking at them. Claire blinked, taking a step back. She hadn't really had very good luck with dogs. They always considered her more of lunch than a friend.

Steve extended his hand, petting the closest one to him. It was a large dog, it probably came up to about his hip and was black with thick fur. It was a rottweiler, and it made Claire nervous. It's entire mouth was probably bigger than her fist.

"Relax...uh, what's your name?"

Claire swallowed hard, moving closer to the boy. "Claire. Claire Redfield."

"Redfield!?" Steve turned to face her, studying her. "No way."

"...Yes way." She gave a weak, somewhat nervous laugh as she kept her eyes on the dogs. Two of the three were very large, obviously the rottweiler, but there was also a husky, and then a much smaller dog, a brownish-orange color with short, thick fur and little stubby legs. It was a corgi.

"...You're kidding."

"No..." She frowned softly. "Why are you so shocked."  
"Well.. uh, I was with your brother in gym class, and he kinda picked on me..."

"Chris?"  
Steve nodded, watching the corgi and the husky sniff around Claire's feet while the rottweiler barked and wagged his tail. "Yeah..."

"...you're _kidding._ Chris doesn't seem like the type of person to do that..."

He shrugged lightly. "I heard him talk about you, he's a little over protective." There was a weak laugh. "Come on inside, the dogs won't bite."

Claire hesitated, but followed him. "So what's your name?"  
"Steve. Steve Burnside." He said proudly as he led the brunette to his living room. It was a somewhat small house, a little messy, strewn with video games, manuals, and the occasional collectors edition stashed somewhere high on a shelf. It was big enough to make sure the younger boy had plenty of room to live.

"Steve..." She smiled softly, glancing around. "So you really live all alone?"

He nodded. "Wait here, I'll go into my room and get you a shirt to borrow."

Claire took a seat in one of the arm chairs, looking at the dogs as they rushed over. The little corgi was first, it's little stubby legs moving fast. She gave a squeal as it jumped into her lap, licking at her face.

"A-ah! Stoppit!' She spluttered, gently pushing it away. It jumped down, settling at her feet with it's little tail wagging.

Steve came back out, holding one of his shirts. This one was clean, a simple white t-shirt. He tossed it to her. "There, go change and get out of the wet one."


	3. His Territory

Disclaimer: Alright, Claire, Steve, any of the RE characters they do NOT belong to me.

Author's Notes: !!! Okay. Thank you SO MUCH for all of your reviews, they're really making me kick my butt into gear and actually _write. _So thank you so much for that. So aside from that, I wanted to ask whether or not you guys would be up for a Rebecca/Mr. Coen (That's right, Billy Coen as a teacher!) romance as one of the lesser romances in this story. (heart) Because he's like 30. He's a teacher, srsly. So anyways. Other than that, kind-of short chapter because I'm still trying to work out exactly what is going to happen. So uh...enjoy? 3

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Claire and Steve spent some time watching television and talking about various things as Claire's shirt was being washed. Claire learned that Steve liked to play video games, and that he loved dogs, which is why he had so many of them roaming around the house. She learned that his group of friends were small; There was a boy named Joseph, and he liked technical goodies, and he was really info filming and he worked in the Drama department on the light board for the different plays. There was another boy named Brad, and he was an artist. Then there was a girl, and her name was Rebecca, and she was a nursing student. They'd been friends since they were children.

Claire tried to tell Steve about her friends, but she was instantly met with bitter dismay from the younger boy. Apparently most of her friends weren't the nicest to his group of friends. She frowned softly, wondering briefly why, but she soon shook it off.

"...maybe you could come to the mall with me and my friends." She suggested with a soft smile, plucking absently at the baggy shirt that Steve had let her wear.

Steve blinked with a frown. "...why?"

"So they can get to know you!"

"They don't like me."

"Chris is just kind of stand-offish." Claire frowned softly. "Especially if Jill's around..."

"I don't care." Steve murmured, sinking into the arm chair deeper, arms folded across his chest. He kept his eyes averted from Claire.

"Then just come with me!"

"Why do you even _want _to spend time with me?"

Claire cocked an eyebrow, starting to get annoyed with his stubbornness. "Because you're sweet! You're washing my shirt for me." she frowned.

"You're _popular_, Claire." He murmured, his voice showing a hint of bitterness. "And you hang out with athletes, and that Alexia girl. I just spend my time playing video games."

She gave a soft laugh. Alexia was a bitch, but she was afraid of saying it out loud. She knew the heiress could kick her ass. "Just don't worry about it, okay?"

"But..."

"Steve, please? It will give everyone a chance to know you. Besides, it's Friday and it might do you some good to get out and stop moping!"

"I don't mope!"

She raised an eyebrow.

The boy only sighed, shaking his head.

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The entire group had made it to the food court now, minus Claire. Chris was beginning to get nervous, but he knew his little sister would turn up soon enough. He sat with his arm around Jill, the brunette leaning against his shoulder with her eyes closed and a soft smile on her face. Their hands were interlaced.

Leon had turned his attention away from Ada in an attempt to keep their relationship a secret, especially around Chris. He didn't want to deal with taking a beat down from the older boy....

Alexia and Alfred sat at another table, talking in low voices and sharing a plate of food. Despite how Alexia treated her twin, they were still unbelievably close. They kept to themselves more than anything else, but they were still almost always with the group.

Finally, almost an hour late, Claire arrived in the food court, much to her brother's relief. Chris waved her over, frowning when he saw the gamer trailing behind her. He stayed a few feet back, silent with his hands shoved into his pockets.

"What took so long, Claire?"  
"Well, I had an accident and I had to wash my shirt and then we had to drive down here." She explained, glancing over her shoulder to make sure the younger boy was following her.

"...who's that?"

"This is Steve!" She smiled. "I told him he could come hang out with us."

Steve gave a somewhat unenthusiastic wave, eyes sweeping over the group, taking a step back when his eyes met Alexia's. He shuddered.

"Steve, huh?" Leon frowned, looking him over. "He's a little _scrawny. _Are you hitting on my girlfriend, little man?"

"N-no!" Steve waved his hands, feeling his face get hot. "I just bumped into her, and it was an accident, and I spilled something all over her--," He was cut off by Claire.

"Leon!" She hit him across the back. "Be _nice._" She frowned.

Leon glared at the boy for a moment but turned away. "Better not be interested in _my _girl..."


	4. Mr Coen

Disclaimer: I do not own Claire, Steve, Chris, any of the Resident Evil characters, as I'm not Capcom. :/

Author's Notes: Ahhhh. I dun wanna get your hopes up, but I dunno how much I'll be updating during the weekdays. Sorry. So anyways, other than that, I have decided to do a Billy/Rebecca romance. Mr. Coen will be the gym teacher, and I have only watched youtube videos, so I dunno how well I'll be able to pull him (and her) off. So please excuse me if they're a little OOC. Other than that, thank you SO much for your reivews! They really do make my day. (heart.) Please enjoy!

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Rebecca slipped into the gym teacher's office, peering around to make sure no one saw her as she closed the door behind her. She pulled the dog tags from beneath her shirt, smiling to herself. She took a seat in the big desk chair, running the metal chain between her small fingers. She just had to wait for Mr. Coen to get back.

She had gotten the dog tags as a gift from him, only after she_ swore _to keep their relationship a secret. It was hard to keep it a secret. She always had to come up with excuses why she was running off after school almost every day to meet a teacher.

Billy Coen walked into the office, giving a soft smile when he saw Rebecca already sitting in his chair. "Rebecca..."

"Good afternoon Mr. Coen!" She smiled, twisting her fingers together in her lap.

The older man smiled, making sure the door was closed and locked. He couldn't afford to have someone come to see him and discover Rebecca in his office. He leaned against the desk, pulling off his jacket to reveal a grey tank top and a black tattoo reading "mother love" down his entire arm. He often wore the jacket to cover it up, being that tattoos aren't very acceptable on teachers. His brown hair was spiked lightly, a few strands of hair falling into his face. He was young, either in his late twenties or his early thirties. (Rebecca hadn't ever asked.) A whistle hung around his neck where the dog tags had once been.

Rebecca jumped up, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, smiling softly as he rested a hand on her waist.

"I missed you!"  
"You saw me earlier today, Rebecca."

She smiled softly, closing her eyes and leaning against his chest. She listened to his heartbeat, wrapping her arms around his neck and locking her fingers together.

Billy stroked her short auburn hair, watching her with a smile.

She opened her eyes, leaning up to him and giving him a soft, shy kiss. She giggled as she pulled away, watching his reaction.

"Rebecca." He frowned lightly, pushing the younger girl away. "You know I can't."

"Mr. Coen!" She whined softly, pressing up against him. "We won't get caught... Come on, it's just a kiss..."

"Rebecca." He murmured more firmly. "You don't understand..."

"You don't want me?"

"Rebecca..."

"Well?" She crossed her arms.

"You know I want you..." He touched the side of her face with the back of his fingers softly. "But you also know that I could lose my job, go to jail, and that I could lose you. I don' think either one of us wants that to happen."

The sixteen year old pouted. "I know...it's not fair..."

He glanced around before giving her a quick kiss with a smile.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

After about half an hour of wandering around the mall, the girls decided to buy dresses for the upcoming dance, much to the boy's disappointment.

Chris wasn't sure how much time had passed. He was situated on one of the benches outside of the dressing room, sitting with his chin in his hand and his elbow on his crossed knee. He wasn't very happy.

Jill came out of the dressing room, holding the skirt of her dress up. It was a turquoise dress – blue, naturally, just like the other twenty or so dresses that she had tried on today – strapless, sleek with a shining silk material that swept down to her toes. It flowed with her body curves, flattering her very well.

Chris smiled, standing up. "Oh, Jill... that looks amazing."

Jill smiled, giving a half-twirl as she held onto the soft silky material. "You like it?"

"You look beautiful." He took a step towards her, taking her face in both of his hands and giving her a tender kiss.

Alexia was out next, looking around for her brother. She'd found the prettiest, most extravagant gown for herself. Naturally, it was royal purple and covered in sequins. The skirt was very full, layers and layers of taffeta and tulle making the skirt even fuller. She looked like a princess and she loved it.

Alfred actually gave a squeal. "Alexiiaa! Ohh, you look beautiful!" He clasped his hands over his mouth, smiling.

She smiled. "I know. I think with my tiara and some diamonds, I would look downright _stunning._"

Her twin nodded in agreement.

Ada gave a smirk, leaning up against the door frame leading into the dressing rooms for dramatic effect. She'd found a long dress, mostly red with a black lace up corset front.

"Oh, Leon." She called, watching the boy look up. He grinned.

"Oh damn! Ada, that looks _good._" The brunette grinned bashfully, looking her over. He glanced around, seeing Chris and Jill close by. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to regain his composure. "You look very lovely."

She smirked softly. "Good."

Claire headed towards Leon now, uncomfortably glancing around. She didn't like this dress that Leon had picked out for her. It was short in the front and very long in the back. The material was red with black lace over almost all of the front part. Even though she didn't like it, she'd tried it on for Leon's sake.

"Leon...?"

"Claire." He smiled at her, looking her up and down. "Ohh, I like it. You look pretty."  
Ada smirked, looking away from the couple. She'd gotten a _much _better reaction than that.

Claire smiled weakly, twisting her fingers into the material. "I don't really like it..."

"Really?" Leon frowned softly.

"R-Really, I'm going to go change, okay?" Claire disappeared into the dressing room.

Ada paused, waiting for her to pass before she turned and followed. "Claire..."

Claire blinked slowly, looking over to her. "Huh?"

"You know your _boyfriend _gave me a better response to my dress, yes?"

"What?" Claire gave a weak laugh. "No. He wouldn't do that."

"...oh, Claire, you're so naive..." There was a laugh from Ada.

Claire shook her head. "I'm sorry you wish you had my boyfriend. But he's mine, and not yours."

"Sure, Claire. Whatever you say..." She smirked, walking past her.

Claire frowned, shaking her head as she went back to her dressing room booth to try on the dress that she'd picked out. Leon wouldn't _ever _do something like that. He wouldn't cheat on her. He wasn't that kind of guy. Right?

Steve was wandering around the dress department, saying nothing as he looked at all the different dresses. What surprised him the most was the _prices _on these damn things. He shook his head, wandering over to where the rest of the group had gathered. But he stayed away from the twins. They still gave him the creeps.

Claire examined herself in the mirror first. She liked this dress. It was much shorter than the other that Leon picked out was. It bearly came down to mid-thigh. She _knew _that her brother wouldn't like it, but she liked it.

It was crimson with gold accents and there was a built-in petticoat that was shining gold. She smiled softly. She liked the way it fit her and everything.

She ran her fingers through her hair, making sure that it looked good before she stepped out and moved where the rest of the group was.

She looked around for Leon, stopping in her tracks when she saw Leon with his arms wrapped around Ada's waist. She frowned, swallowing hard and closing her eyes to make sure she was seeing what she thought she saw.

She opened her eyes again and now they were _kissing. _Ada was giggling, twirling Leon's hair around her finger.

Claire whimpered, turning and running back into the dressing room, tears sliding down her cheeks.

Steve followed her, having seen her run back in. "Claire?"

"G-Go away!"  
"Claire..." He frowned, moving towards her. He knew he wasn't supposed to be in here, but he came anyways. "Come here."

"G-go _away!_"  
"Talk to me, what happened?"

She whimpered, leaning against the dressing room stall door. "L-leon...Leon, he...he's _cheating _on me."'

"What?" He frowned.

"Y-yeah! With that whore Ada!"

Steve hesitantly wrapped his arms around her. He didn't know how to comfort a girl, he'd never really been around many. "It's okay. He's an ass anyways."

She buried her face in his shoulder. "I...I don't know what I'll do..."

"Don't worry. We'll think of something." He touched the back of her head softly.


	5. Standing Up

Disclaimer: I do not own Resident Evil or any of the characters. I'm only forcing them to do things (against?) their will for my amusement.

Author's notes: I'm going to just explode from this. I was checking out some other RE fan fictions and I stumbled across mine, number eight on the first page! Squee! I'm so proud. I don't think I've ever been this proud of anything I've written before. Phew, so now that's over. Ahh Leon is such a whore, ain't he? Drama. The way high school should be. I don't mean to offend any Ada fans. Sorry, guys. I get to introduce Brad and Joseph because they haven't been in yet. Other than that, Long chapter so yay for you guys! Enjoy!

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Steve held Claire close, stroking her hair as he'd seen boys do to comfort girls in the movies. She was crying against his shoulder, arms wrapped around him weakly. Her heart was breaking, every time she took a breath it_ hurt._ The bottom of her stomach felt like it had dropped out, and her chest felt like someone had her lungs and her heart in a vise.

Claire had pulled him into the dressing room booth to get away from the others. The door was locked and she was practically sitting in his lap on the small seat. She didn't even care right now.

"H-how could he cheat? How could he d-do that?" She whimpered, digging her fingers into Steve's shirt.

He said nothing, unsure of what _to _say. He didn't want to upset her any more than she already was, and he certainly didn't want to offend her.

"...W-was it because I refused to sleep with him?" She whimpered, wiping her tears away with the back of her arm.

Steve frowned softly, stroking her hair but staying quiet.

"A-and that's all that that _whore _d-does. Sl-sleep around." She took in a deep shuddering breath. "...h-he's probably crawling with all of her dis-diseases." She closed her eyes, leaning into the younger boy again. Bashing Ada was making her feel just a little bit better. And of course Steve holding her helped, too. But she wouldn't admit it.

Steve shifted, pulling Claire closer almost subconsciously. "Claire... he's just... he's _stupid._" he frowned to himself, fingers running through her soft hair. He noted how pretty she smelled. It was sweet, making Steve actually lick his lips, with a slight hint of spice. Vanilla.

"I know he's stupid." She whimpered softly, twisting her fingers deeper into his shirt. "B-but it hurts."

"Claire...c'mon, if he's gonna cheat on a beautiful girl like you then of course he's an idiot..." He said it before he realized it. He fell silent, going back to stroking her hair and praying she hadn't heard him.

She gave a soft blush, but said nothing for a moment. "T-thanks..." She peeked up at him, rubbing at her tear streaked face.

There was silence for a few minutes.

Claire whimpered again. "I was supposed to go to the d-dance with him..."

"Claire..." The younger boy frowned. "...I...I'll take you." He murmured softly, half hoping she'd say yes, and half hoping she'd say no. He didn't know how to dance, and he'd certainly not gone to any of the school dances.

"R-really?"

"Yeah... of course... You can't just _not_ go. It'd mean that he wins..."

She sniffled, looking down at the dress which she still had on. "I...I guess..."

"It'll be fun..." He smiled.

She nodded, running her fingers through her hair. She glanced at herself in the mirror and nearly cringed. Her mascara and eyeliner were both smeared across her eyes and her eyes were red and puffy. She looked like she'd been crying, and she _couldn't _let Leon see her this way.

She stood, smoothing out her hair. "I'll...be out in a few minutes, okay?"

Steve nodded. He stood, smiling weakly. He hesitated before leaning over and giving her forehead a soft kiss. He hoped it would make her feel better. "I'll be waiting outside."

Claire nodded, watching him go. She turned to the mirror, digging out her makeup. She had to look the best she could. She couldn't know that Leon and his whore had hurt her so badly.

Steve walked out towards the main part where the others had gone and he was instantly bombarded with questions.

"What happened?"

"Where's Claire?"

"Is she okay?"

He ignored everyone, heading towards the blonde football player. He took a deep breath, knowing that Leon had to be _twice_ his own size. "You."

Leon cocked an eyebrow, turning to the younger boy. "What?"

"You cheated on Claire!"

Leon gave a laugh. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Steve growled. "You cheated on Claire with _her_!"He pointed to Ada who was primping in a compact mirror. She did nothing but give an innocent smile and raise an eyebrow.

"I did not! Claire's been my girlfriend for a year and a half! I wouldn't cheat on her." He glanced to Ada.

Steve poked him in the chest, eyes widening when his finger hit pure muscle. Damn. He swallowed hard, trying to maintain his air of confidence.

"Don't touch me." Leon growled, leaning down slightly so that he was eye-level with him.

"Don't tell me what I can and what I can't do." He glared, poking him harder in the chest.

Leon punched him. The smaller boy crumpled to the ground.

When Steve woke up, his head was pounding. He wasn't in the mall anymore, and he was in a house. But it wasn't one that he'd been to. There was a sharp, throbbing pain over and under his right eye. He blinked slowly, feeling slight shocks of pain send from his eye.

"What _happened?_" He groaned. He blinked slowly. Everything started to come into better focus. Claire was over him.

"Leon punched you." She frowned softly, touching the cold pack back to his eye. "You've got a pretty nasty black eye. What'd you say to him?"

He shook his head, wincing again lightly.

Claire frowned softly, keeping the pack to his eye with just a little bit of pressure. "Stop moving."

He blinked again slowly, realizing where he was. He was laying in Claire's _lap._ He flustered, moving to sit up.

Claire frowned. "Stop that. You're going to aggravate it worse."

He fell silent and relaxed against her, hoping he didn't look too happy to be this close to her.

"...my brother gets black eyes a lot." She murmured softly. "He's sorta clumsy." She smiled softly. "Jill and I both do this for him, depending on who's around...I hope you don't have a concussion, you took a pretty hard fall." She touched his forehead softly.

"I've got a headache." He mumbled sort-of tiredly.

She frowned. "Chris!" She called. "Chris, would you get me a glass of water and some aspirin for Steve?"

"Is he awake finally?"

"Yeah, he's got a headache."

Claire's older brother appeared from the back of the house, his girlfriend in tow.

"How're you feeling?"

"M'head hurts." He repeated, glancing away from him.

"Don't worry, I took care of Leon for you." Chris gave a soft grin as he moved to get water and pain killer for the younger boy.

"Thanks..."

Jill stooped beside him. "What made you take him on like that?"

"...Claire was crying." He murmured, glancing up to the brunette. He felt like some kind of hero with the two girls fawning over him and taking care of him. "And I had to make him know what he did was wrong."

"But why?"

"She's nice. She doesn't deserve to be cheated on." He closed his eyes. She'd taken him to the mall with his friends, despite their different social statuses in the school, and then afterwards, taken him home with her and taken care of him!

Claire smiled softly, looking to Jill. "He's a sweetheart."

Steve flustered, smiling softly to himself.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Brad glanced up at the clock. "Hey, Joseph, when is Steve supposed to be here?"

Joseph was engaged with a video game, not even pausing to look at him as he spoke. His fingers worked rapidly on the controllers as he played through the levels of his game. Around his neck sat a rather large set of headphones, blasting rock music that he simply tuned out.

"He said he'd be here around five." He spoke flatly, eyes darting around the flashing screen.

"It's almost six." He frowned. "Think he's okay?"

"He's _fine."_ Joseph murmured. There was a few moments of silence until the boy wearing the red bandana pumped his fist into the air. "Yes! Kicked his ass." He murmured, speaking about a boss who he'd just taken down with a shotgun and magnum combo to the face.

He paused the game now, looking at Brad. "Alright, what were you saying?"

Brad gave a slight sigh, but nothing else. He was used to Joseph completely blocking out everything when he was playing a video game.

"Steve's not here yet. He's almost an hour late." Brad slumped into the back of the chair, picking up his drawing pad.

"He's probably walking his dogs or something." Joseph pulled his bandana off, running his fingers through his short, dirty blonde hair. "...I just hope he doesn't bring them over here again." He shuddered. "...I hate them."

Brad laughed, but said nothing. He wasn't a fan of Steve's dogs either. Especially the biggest one.

"So what are our plans for tonight?"

"Well, if Rebecca and Steve ever show up..." Joseph frowned softly, picking up the controller and running his fingers over the smooth buttons. "Then I guess we'll watch some scary movies and stuff."

Brad shuddered slightly at the mention of scary movies. Joseph always liked to tease him with those things. "...Rebecca sure has been spending a lot of extra time at school."

Joseph nodded silently, but Brad could already tell that he was absorbed into his game.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Claire kept Steve still for what seemed like forever, but Steve wasn't complaining. He liked being this close to her. Hell, he just liked her in general. But he couldn't admit that yet. She'd just broken up with Leon.

"Are you feeling better?" Claire asked.

Steve nodded.

"Feeling good enough to go back home?"

Steve hesitated but nodded again. He didn't want to leave, but he knew he had to go home and feed his dogs. "Yeah."

Jill perked up from Chris's lap. Both Jill and Chris had taken the rocking chair, the girl sitting on her boyfriend's lap. "What about if he spends the night with us?"

Steve blushed softly.

Chris nodded. "...s'true. Then if anything goes wrong, you can at least watch him."

"A co-ed sleep over?" Steve asked.

Claire smiled softly. "Alexia, Alfred and Jill are staying the night. The boys are gonna sleep in one room and the girls are gonna sleep in another."

Jill gave a giggle, leaning into Chris but Chris silenced her. "Shh. Don't get too excited, Jill."

She smiled, giving a kiss as an apology.  
Steve blinked, looking up at Claire. "You want me to spend the night?"

Claire smiled. "It would be nice." She admitted.


	6. Alone Time

Disclaimer: I do not own Resident Evil or any of the characters.

Author's notes: This almost feels like a filler chapter. :/ Sort-of. It's kinda short. I don't really have much else to write because I don't want to make the chapter insanely long. So _anyways. _Enjoy.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Steve opened his door, saying hello to his dogs as he moved to his messy room to gather some pajamas, clothes for the next morning, essentials and other things he thought might prove to be useful for the sleepover. He hadn't spent the night with any other girl besides Rebecca, so he wasn't sure what to do. But at least he would be able to stay with Chris and Alfred. (Even though Alfred sort of gave him the creeps.)

Steve gathered his clothes and fed his dogs. He said goodbye to the animals on his way out, making sure that he locked the door behind him.

Claire was waiting on her motorcycle, bent over the handle bars. Steve blushed softly, stopping in his tracks. His eyes traveled down the curve of her back and over her behind. He shivered, realizing he was staring and he moved towards the motorcycle.

"Beautiful." He murmured under his breath, shaking his head. He couldn't even fathom why Leon would cheat on her.

He smiled, shouldering the bag. "I'm ready."

Claire smiled. "Climb on and put on the helmet. You know the rules."

"Yeah, yeah..." He pulled the helmet on his head. He wasn't very happy, but he knew he couldn't afford another blow to the head. Between Claire and Jill, the two girls had figured that Steve had a slight concussion.

Claire stayed close by, wanting to make sure he was okay. "Ready?"

"Yeah." He wrapped his arms around her, finding the tips of his fingers under the waistband of her jeans. He blushed softly, looking up to her. He skin was warm, and soft.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Jill took Chris's hand, lacing her fingers with his and dragging him back to his bedroom. This was the only time they'd have alone for the night, and they wanted to spend it together.

She shut the door behind them, kissing him a bit harder.

Chris rested his hands on her hips, smirking softly. "Mm."

She leaned up against the door, running her fingers through Chris's hair slowly. "How long do we have?"

"It doesn't matter..." Chris smirked, kissing her now. He wasted no time, his tongue probing lightly at her lips before pulling them apart. He ran his tongue slowly over her lower lip.

Jill gave a surprised gasp. "A-ah..." She dug her nails lightly into his back, a little surprised. He normally wasn't the aggressive one.

He smirked softly, wrapping his arms around her waist again and taking a few steps backwards towards the bed, bringing the brunette with him.

Jill blushed softly. "Chris..."

"Shh..."

"Chris..." She murmured, feeling his fingers slip up under her shirt, sliding along her spine. She shuddered.

"You're acting like we've never done this before." He whispered, kissing up and down her neck.  
She gave a soft groan, closing her eyes. "Mm, Chris... everyone's gonna be here soon..."

"C'mon, Jill... it won't take long..."

"What if your sister comes home and hears us?"

"It'll be fine, Jill..." He slipped his hands up the side of her shirt, smirking softly. He felt her skin bristle under his fingertips.

She kissed him with a soft smile. "Alright. But you have to be gentle this time."

Chris smiled softly, kissing her nose gently. "You know I will."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Claire unlocked the door, letting Steve in before she locked it behind her. Chris always made her lock it at night. She shook her head, knowing that he was over protective. But she didn't mind it.

The younger boy glanced to the clock and frowned. "Oh shit! I was supposed to meet up with Joseph and Brad!"

Claire blinked. "Huh?"

"Hours ago!" He murmured, glancing around for a phone. "I need to call them."

She pointed to the phone. "Alright, here. Call them..."

Steve picked up the phone, dialing the number to Joseph's house. He listened to it ring, and then the boy picked up on the other end.  
"Hello?"

"Joseph, it's Steve!"

Joseph raised an eyebrow, looking at the caller ID. "Redfield? Why are you calling from the Redfield's?"

"I'm uh..." He blushed softly. "I'm spending the night."

Joseph smirked, glancing to Brad. "Ah...where were you earlier?"

"...I uh, got... in a fight. Yeah, I almost won." He glanced to Claire. "But I'm spending the night with Claire." he smirked.

"You got in a fight?!" Came Brad's voice.

"Yeah, man." The redhead grinned. "But I gotta go, I'll talk to you tomorrow." He hung up, feeling rather triumphant. He turned to Claire. "Alright, now what?"

"We're just gonna hang around and wait until the others get here." She took a seat in the rocking chair, picking up the remote and flipping through the channels before settling on some zombie movie for some background ambiance.

Steve was silent, trying to wrap his mind around everything. He was spending the night at a girl's house. Not just any girl, no. Claire Redfield. One of the prettiest, sweetest, best looking and popular girls in Raccoon High.

"So we're... gonna be spending tonight. Boys _and _Girls."

Claire laughed. "Yes! Why are you so surprised?"  
Steve mumbled under his breath and gave a shrug, embarrassed. "I guess... the only girl I've ever spent the night with is Rebecca." He grumbled.

"You're not spending the night with _me. _You're spending the night with _us._" Claire corrected, glancing briefly to the television; There was a loud scream followed by a gurgle as a zombie ripped some reporter's throat out.

She turned her attention back to Steve. "So relax, okay?"

Steve gave a nod and glanced away from her, still embarrassed.

Jill nuzzled up against Chris, her eyes closed and her ear pressed up against his bare chest. She listened to his heartbeat and to his breathing, ever so relaxed.

Chris stroked Jill's hair softly, fingers twisting into the flipped out ends. They were silent, the only sound in the room was their slow breathing.

"You're amazing." Jill murmured softly, glancing up to him through her light bangs.

Chris smiled softly. "So are you."

"I wish we could spend time together more often, just the two of us..." she murmured softly, propping herself up on her elbows, the blankets slipping down to her waist.

"Yeah, I know..." Chris murmured in agreement. "But you know, we can always sneak off later tonight..."

Jill smiled. "That's what I was planning."

The boy smiled as well, watching her as she moved out from underneath the covers. She stood, pulling on one of Chris's large t-shirts for cover. "I'm going to go take a shower, okay?"

He nodded, watching her as she left the room. He stretched his arms over his head as he moved to get dressed now as well. He needed to be out in the living room when Alexia and Alfred arrived.

He threw on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt he randomly plucked from the closet, making sure that his hair looked okay before heading down the hall and out into the living room.


	7. Dreaming

Disclaimer: RESIDENT EVIL. DOES NOT BELONG TO ME.

Authors notes: CAPS LOCK IS CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL. So I noticed the new nifty messenger thing going on. Go ahead and drop me a line if you want! I want to see how it works. /scratches head. Otherwise, this chapter does contain some sexual-ness (Between Steve and Claire). So either skip this chapter or deal with it.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Jill, Steve, the Ashford twins and the Redfield's kept themselves entertained for most of the evening. They played truth or dare, spin the bottle (even though Alfred gave resistance to that one. He didn't exactly like the idea of anyone kissing his sister) and even made a few prank calls.

Currently, though, it was nearing midnight and they had settled down to watch some horror movie. Fairly generic, slasher chasing down teenagers, gutting them like fishes, hanging their skin out to dry, eating their organs, normal stuff like that. Everyone seemed to be handling it fine except for Steve, who jumped every time there was a loud noise.

Claire had moved closer to him, both to keep her mind off of Leon and to attempt to comfort him. The room had been darkened, the curtains drawn to keep the light from the street lamps to penetrate the house.

Claire touched his arm softly, feeling him jump beside her. She giggled softly. "Relax!" She whispered. "Jesus, it's just a _movie._"  
Steve nodded, silently as he kept his eyes glued to the screen, even through a particularly horrifying scene filled with blood and gore. He had to prove he was a man. Even Alfred was handling this better than him. He sighed aloud, but kept his attention on the movie.

Jill was sitting in Chris's lap again, her arms wrapped around him. She'd used the scary movie as an excuse to cuddle with him. Alfred and Alexia were sitting in the floor, fingers entangled.

When the movie was over, Steve breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't have to worry about that anymore. He knew that if the boys ever found out about this, he'd never be able to live it down. He'd take up Brad's nickname.

It was past two in the morning now.

Jill gave a yawn, nuzzling into Chris further with her eyes closed.

"Where are we gonna sleep?"

"Claire and Alexia are going to sleep in Claire's room, and you and Alfred are going to sleep out here." Chris responded, stroking Jill's hair softly. He smiled softly to himself, loving the fact she was so sweet today.

Alfred shot a glare at Chris. He didn't like to be away from his sister.

Steve nodded, but he felt uncomfortable having to sleep in the same room as Alfred. The boy just gave him a serious case of the creeps.

"Come on, Alexia." Claire stood. "Lets go change into pajamas."

The blonde nodded, rising from her seat on the floor and leaving her brother.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Jill and Chris had already disappeared into Chris's room, and Alexia was already asleep. Alfred had gone back to Claire's room after Chris had retired. Steve and Claire were left.

They were watching late night B movies and flipping through the channels, eating junk food and talking a little. Steve didn't want to sleep because he was afraid he'd have nightmares, god forbid that he actually admit it, so he was glad Claire was still up. Claire, on the other hand, just didn't feel like sleeping. She was afraid she'd start thinking about Leon.

They were both on the couch, sharing a blanket between them. Because of this, they were forced to sit close. Claire didn't seem to take notice, and Steve certainly didn't care.

The brunette found herself leaning her head on the younger boy's shoulder as her eyelids got heavy. She was fairly tired out from the days events, but she continued to fight sleep.

_She felt something against her leg, soft and gentle trailing down her bare skin. Fingertips, she realized. They were too soft to be Chris's, and too small to be Leon's..._

_She kept her eyes closed, though, liking the feel of the soft fingertips on her smooth skin. Then there were lips on her neck. Not as skilled as Leon's, but softer. The lips left a short trail of kisses down her neck until he reached the crook. He suckled softly, his tongue running over her skin, twirling in circles before he took the pale skin into his suckled softly, but stopped suddenly. _

_Claire gave a whine of discontent, opening her eyes to see Steve. She flustered, eyes running over him. She didn't believe that he had the nerve , the guts, the _balls _to even_ touch _her, much less touch her naked thigh, or kiss her exposed neck._

_"Steve..."_

_The younger boy kissed her on the lips now. Soft and gentle at first, his tongue urging at her mouth. Gently, it was pried open, and he took her lower lip into his mouth. The kiss was more aggressive now, kissing her harder, a hand on the back of her head to keep her still._

_Claire closed her eyes, feeling his expert mouth working against hers. She loved the feeling. Leon never had kissed her like this. _

_The redhead continued to kiss her passionately, gathering her slowly in his arms and pulling her to him. She was shaking, her heart beating hard in her chest. She loved the way he touched her, kissed her, held her. _

_Steve broke away now, leaving Claire gasping for breath. She closed her eyes, leaning against his chest. Unable to speak for a few moments until she gathered herself. _

_"A-ah, Steve." She whispered, fingers twisting into his pajama top. She peered up to him._

_Steve's hands were entangled in Claire's long hair, smiling softly to himself. He didn't even seem phased._

_"You're so beautiful." He whispered softly, showering her face in tiny little kisses. _

_Claire smiled, looking up at him. "Thanks..."_

_He smiled, stroking her hair and pulling her close. "Really, you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."_

_Claire closed her eyes, listening to Steve's calm heartbeat._

_They were silent, just Steve holding the biker close, no one saying anything._

_Steve slipped a hand under the bottom of Claire's nightgown (light blue with a bit of white lace) and up the front, smooth fingertips sliding over her soft skin. She shivered, giving a soft whimper. She was shaking all over._

_He moved back, laying her across the couch. _

_Claire blushed softly, but gave no resistance. He was so soft and gentle, her body was practically begging for his touch by the time his surprisingly skilled fingers pulled her nightgown from over his head._

_But it was over as quickly as it had started, the background melting to the back of Leon's jeep. Littered with garbage and the seats were dirty. Clarie hated being in it, but somehow she'd gotten here._

_Leon was where Steve had been, hands under her shirt, groping clumsily at her chest. _

_Claire pushed him away. She was _always _telling the football star 'No', that she was saving herself for someone special, marriage or otherwise. (It was always met with a laugh and more pursuits from Leon.) She knew that it was cliché, but her mother told her that's the way it's supposed to be. _

_Leon kissed her again, trying to pull her t-shirt off. She frowned, pushing him away harder. "Leon, I said no!"_

_"You know, _Ada _puts out." He growled softly. _

_Suddenly, Ada was looming over Leon's shoulder with a smirk and her arms crossed. She seemed giant, and Claire hadn't ever hated her more._

_"F-_fine. _Let Ada put out for you. Stop touching me._"

Steve shook her awake, frowning lightly. "Are you okay?"

Claire blinked slowly, everything coming into focus. She rubbed her eyes, feeling wet tears. "Huh...?"

"You fell asleep...and then you started to cry." He frowned.

She said nothing, feeling strange. She felt closer to Steve for some reason, but she didn't want to admit it. The pain from Leon came rushing back.

"A-ah..."

Steve frowned. "What were you dreaming about?"

"Leon....a-and Ada was there."

He touched her shoulder gently. "S'okay. It's just a dream."

Claire nodded, silent. "Just a dream."


	8. First Kiss

Disclaimer: I do not own Resident Evil or any of the characters, and I'm not profiting in any way.

Author's notes: You guys are just beyond so cool. Thanks for all of your support and reviews! They really make my day. The fluff is almost...mind blowing in this chapter. I was feeling particularly romantic today, so here's a chapter dedicated to almost nothing but fluff! I hope you enjoy. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Again, thanks for dropping by to read my fic!

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Hello?" Rebecca spoke into the phone, pausing for a moment. She was painting her toenails green, to match most of her clothes.

"Hey, Rebecca."

"Mr. Coen!" The nursing student squealed, placing both hands on the phone.

There was a smile from the man on the other end. "Are you busy tonight? I've got a surprise for you."

Rebecca smiled. "A surprise? What is it?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you."

"I'm not busy tonight." She smiled, glancing to her door. "Where do I meet you?"

"A few blocks away from your house so your mother doesn't catch us?" He asked.

Rebecca gave a nod and a shy smile. "What do I wear?"

"Something light." He replied, glancing to the clock. "I'll see you soon." He hung up.

She smiled, clicking the phone off. She hadn't been able to spend any time with Billy outside of the school. It would be nice, they wouldn't have to worry about anyone seeing them. She giggled, moving to stand and find something to wear.

She dug through her closet, pulling out a few potential outfits. She settled on a sundress, a low cut halter with an empire waist and flowing skirt that fell to her mid-calves. She pulled it on, looking at herself over her shoulder in the mirror. The dog tags dangled at her chest, slipping between the curves her breasts.

She slipped on some white sandals, throwing a purse together as she hurried out of her room.

"Mom! I'm going to Steve's! Call my cell if you need me!" She called, rushing out the front door before her mother could confront her.

She walked down the street, unable to stop smiling. She spotted Billy's car, pulling up her dress at the knees. She waved with her free hand.

She climbed in, leaning over to give him a hello kiss. "I'm glad you called... so where are we going?"

"The beach..."

"The beach! But that's out of town..."

"I know. We'll be far enough away that we won't have to worry about _anyone _seeing us." He smiled at her.

Rebecca smiled, taking Billy's hand and lacing her fingers with his. "You're so amazing."

Billy smiled. "So are you."

The pair arrived at the beach about an hour and a half after they'd departed from Rebecca's house. The sun was setting, but it was still fairly warm. Rebecca was glad Billy had told her to dress lightly.

The gym teacher parked, turning off the car as he glanced over to her. "We're here."

"It's beautiful." She smiled, looking from the shoreline to her date.

Billy took her face in his hands gently, kissing her softly. She blushed softly, leaning closer. She closed her eyes, loving the feeling that his lips on hers sent through her body.

He broke away, taking her hand gently.

Rebecca smiled. "Mr. Coen..."

"Why don't you ever call me Billy?"

She was silent, thinking about it for a moment. "I like calling you Mr. Coen."

"Why?" He brushed her hair from her face. "Is there a reason?"

"Well, I mean, it just..." She fell silent for a moment. "It's...exciting." She smiled, peering up at him."You...know, since we're not supposed to be together..."

Billy smiled, touching the top of her head. "I see."

She smiled softly, tugging lightly on his arm. "Come on, lets go walk around."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Steve and Claire sat down at the table to eat breakfast, being the first two up. Alexia and Alfred, Claire was sure, were getting their beauty sleep. Chris and Jill were still in his room. Claire didn't even want to think about what they were doing.

Claire nibbled on her toast, still upset at the dream from the night before. She was silent, eating her toast.

Steve watched her, a little concerned. She hadn't said anything all morning. "Claire?"

"Hm?"

"Are you okay?"

She gave a slight shrug, not really paying attention. She ran her fingers around the rim of the glass, thinking about Leon. She couldn't help but wonder if they could ever get back together. But then she wondered _why._

"Claire..."

"Huh?" she snapped back to reality, looking to him. "What?"

"You're just...quiet, is all. Did I do something wrong?"

Claire shook her head. "Sorry... just that dream I had last night."

"The one with Leon and Ada?"

She nodded, looking down to her plate. "Yeah..."

"You shouldn't let him get to you." He murmured softly.

"I k-know." She heard her voice crack and she hid her face, feeling the tears spark behind her eyes. No, she couldn't start crying again. Not here, not now, not in front of him this time.

"Claire..." Steve stood, standing awkwardly before moving towards her. He rested a hand on her shoulder. "Don't..."

"I'm s-s-s-sorry." She tried to gather herself, but she missed him, and she was angry. She was angry at herself, and at Leon for cheating on her, naturally. She couldn't stand Ada, and she hoped she didn't see the dark haired woman any time soon. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep her hands to herself.

"Claire..." He frowned, touching the top of her head. "Don't cry over him. He's not worth it." In the back of his head, he wondered _why_ girls like Claire always went after assholes like Leon.

"I _k-know._" She whimpered, resting her head in her arms on the table. She was embarrassed. She couldn't even hold herself together for a few hours at a time. "I hate him." She whimpered, peering up to him and rubbing her eyes dry.

"You should." He smiled weakly. He didn't know what else to say.

She rubbed her eyes harder, managing to stop crying. She took a few deep breaths, sitting up. "...y-your eye is looking better."

"Good..." He smiled, glad that she'd perked up. "He hit me pretty hard."

"Chris handled him." She smiled weakly now. "He's a good big brother... y-you know, you're the first guy that I've been with that he's liked."

Steve blinked. "Been with?"

"O-oh, I mean, hung out with?" She felt her face get hot. She hadn't mentioned that she'd dreamed about him.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Steve..." She looked away. "That dream? Before Leon came, I was dreaming...about you." She murmured.

"Me?" Steve blinked, stunned.

"Yeah. You... we were on the couch, and you kissed me, and you held me, and stroked my hair, and..."

"_Me_?" The younger boy repeated, staring at her dumbfounded.

Claire continued, "Yeah... and then you slipped your hand up my nightgown..." she trailed off, looking up to him. Steve was blushing just a shade lighter than his hair.

"A-ah...r-really?" He stammered, pulling on his pajama shirt uncomfortably. He didn't know what to say. He was flattered, naturally... but he didn't want to _say _that. It might offend her. He hadn't really been thinking of her that way, but he was sure she wasn't interested... but now...

"Really..." She kept her eyes on the floor, embarrassed that she'd even said anything. "You probably think I'm a slut now, huh?"

Steve shook his head, but said nothing.

"Y-you're just so sweet." She heard herself saying, but she couldn't believe she was still talking.

The redhead took a deep breath, feeling his heartbeat increase pace. "Claire..." When she looked up, he leaned forward and kissed her just softly on the lips.


	9. The Dance

Disclaimer: I do not own Resident Evil or any of the characters in this story :/

Author's notes: Don't worry! Brad and Joseph's dates will highly unlikely be reoccurring. I just needed to stick someone for them to not... be alone. Jeeze, guys. I'm sorry, Claire REALLY hates Ada. So please don't take the time to write out a review to complain about the Ada bashing. I do like her, but she ended up being the gold digger here. Please enjoy the chapter, review and let me know what you think! I love you guys!

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Claire was nervous. She paced her room, barefoot. (She didn't want to put on her heels until absolutely necessary.) The dance was in less than two hours, but Steve was on the way to pick her up for dinner now. She was going to meet Joseph and Brad, finally, after hearing Steve talk about them for _weeks_.

She glanced apprehensively to herself in the full length mirror. She gave a nod, smoothing a few tresses down with the palms of her hands. She had to see Leon tonight. With his little skank Ada. She didn't want to see him now, or ever.

...what if she burst into tears right at the dance when she saw him? In front of Ada and the entire _school? _She bit her lip, feeling her heart rate increase even further now. She was certain that her heart would burst out of her chest.

The doorbell shrieked through the silent house and Claire nearly jumped out of her skin. It was Steve, she knew it. At this, she relaxed just a fraction. She slipped on her red pumps, nearly falling off of the four inch heel. She _hated _high heels, and she almost never wore them, thanks to her driving a motorcycle near constantly. On her way out of her room, she grabbed her purse, throwing open the door to greet her date.

Steve stood in the doorway, looking over here. Her hair was done in curls, cascading down her shoulders and back (Jill had done them for her.) Then there was the red and golden dress with the tulle that she had picked out at the mall, the day she found out Leon was cheating, her long tanned legs, her red pumps, and her toenails painted in gold. Around her wrists and throat were gold jewelry, her mother's, as Steve later found out. He himself wore a simple black suit with a red tie to match her dress. The red tie had been Claire's idea, naturally.

"Steve!" She smiled, bending to kiss his cheek. With her four inch high heels, she stood about two inches taller than the boy.

Steve smiled. "You look _stunning_."

"Thank you..." She moved to take his hand. Steve shivered when their skin made contact.

Claire looked up, turning her attention away from the boy.

In the street, there sat a gleaming black limo. Claire gasped, honestly dumbfounded. Steve rented a _limo _for their date? She couldn't help but break into a grin.

Steve smiled, looking up at her. "C'mon, Brad and Joseph are in the back."

The brunette slid in beside the two boys, glancing around. She'd never been in a limo before. Not even for her mother's funeral...

Both boys, Brad and Joseph, had either dark blonde or light brown hair. Joseph wore a blue suit and Brad, a gray suit with a bright orange tie. They both matched their dates, girls Claire had seen around school but never really talked to.

Joseph's date, Ashley, she'd seen in a play or two. She was an actress, and since Joseph worked the light board in the drama department, she figured that's how they met. She was some rich girl, the daughter of the governor or something.

Ashley wore a rather... interesting dress. It was definitely made especially for her, as Claire had never seen such a garish mix of colors. The dress itself was a green plaid one, rather short, with a straight skirt. It was sleeveless and low cut, showing off her rather large chest. The shoes she wore were designer, brown ankle boots. She wore an orange shawl around her shoulders.Claire gave a smile to her, eyes drifting to Brad's date.

It was Rebecca, Steve's only female friend. She could tell from the description that Steve had given to her when they'd first met. (The nursing student was only there because Mr. Coen suggested she go with Brad to dismiss any rumors about them.) She wasn't very happy, sitting with her arms crossed. Rebecca wore a very simple dress, emerald green, strapless with a longer, softer cut skirt than Ashley's. She looked very nice, all though very threatening at the same time...

Claire said nothing to the boys, sitting close to Steve.

Steve smiled at her, bringing out a small, plastic box. It was a corsage, beautiful green leaves, and the prettiest red rose that Claire had _ever _seen. "Can I put it on?"

She smiled, somewhat shyly as she extended her wrist to him. He placed the corsage on her right wrist, somewhat delicate fingers tying the cord quickly. She blushed, having a quick flashback to her dream about him. She shook it off, glancing around the back of the limo again.

The restaurant that Steve had picked was nice, and Claire was impressed. It had several people from their school out eating as well. She recognized some of them, and she smiled and waved on their way to be seated.

They all sat at one table, which Claire didn't mind. She was almost afraid to be alone with Steve, for some reason, and she couldn't figure out why. Rebecca was silent, while Ashley just talked away. Claire didn't listen though, already looking and scanning the menu for something reasonably priced but that also sounded good. She ordered water to drink when the waitress came, and then decided on a chicken salad for dinner. She didn't want to gorge herself, but she also didn't want to seem prissy to Steve and his friends. (She certainly was _not_. Prissy girls didn't drive motorcycles.)

Throughout dinner, Claire and Steve talked in hushed voices, Brad interjecting some chatter into the conversation. She liked him. He was shy, and somewhat quiet. It was a nice change from all of the loud, outgoing guys she normally hung out with, like her brother and some of his male friends. Joseph was quiet as well, but that was mainly because he couldn't get a word in edgewise with the governor's daughter yapping on and _on _about which college to go to, and bragging about all of her little 'connections.' Claire couldn't help but roll her eyes every time she heard her start to talk. She didn't like the blonde girl in the slightest.

Rebecca still refused to talk, hiding her phone under the table as she texted Mr. Coen. She was highly upset, and already planning to fake a headache about half way through the dance. She felt bad, since Brad was taking her to dinner, and then to the dance, but she just didn't want to be around anyone except Mr. Coen...

After dinner and dessert, (Claire and Steve shared a piece of cheesecake) the group departed to the dance. It had already begun, but as Alexia had taught Claire, there was _nothing _bad about arriving fashionably late.

The cafeteria of RCHS was decorated very elaborately. There were clouds and stars hung everywhere, all in shades of deep blue, pale blue and black. The tables were lit with candles, confetti strewn across them. The tablecloths were white, and there were small bottles of water set on them. The banner over the entrance red "Pathway To The Stars" or something cheesy like that. Claire cracked a smile, looking around.

Jill and Chris were dancing, always the energetic couple. She shook her head, knowing what _always _went on after dances between her brother and his girlfriend.

Alexia and Alfred Ashford, she spotted, were spending time off away from the others. Alexia wore her beautiful purple dress and her twin brother matched. She wondered how many people could tell they were twins, and how many people believed they were a couple. It was so hard to tell sometimes, and that was the truth.

Then her eyes settled on Ada and Leon. Leon looked sleek in a black suit with a white tie, and Ada wore her long red and black dress she'd found. She bit her lip, looking to Steve. Steve took notice almost immediately, and she made a mental note to thank him later.

"S-Steve..." She heard her voice waver.

"...come on." He murmured, taking her hand. "Lets go dance, Beautiful."

She smiled, wrapping her fingers around his. Beautiful. Leon had never called her that. "Yeah..."

She followed the younger boy to the dance floor, watching the football star look up from his date.

Leon frowned to himself, realizing that the boy Claire was with was the kid he'd punched out a few weeks ago. His black eye was gone. He scowled, taking attention away from Ada, which the half-Chinese girl did _not _like.

"Leon?"

The blonde said nothing, eyes locked onto Claire now. He hadn't seen her in the dress, having been too interested in Ada to see. But oh, she did look stunning; the stilettos she wore made her long, shapely legs only more pleasing to the eye.

He shook his head, turning back to Ada. He gave a smile. "Yes?"

"Leon, you're not looking at other, less attractive girls, are you?" One of her long fingers traced his jawline, which was quickly replaced by her red lips.

Leon smiled softly. "Of course not, Ada. Leon's a one-woman-kinda-man."


	10. Realization

Disclaimer: Not mine! Seriously, guys. Resident Evil belongs to Capcom and it's owners.

Author's notes: jsdajfasd omg. The end of the school year. I have so much time to write in school that it's nearly ridiculous! Good for any fans of the fic. I estimated that I write like three chapters a week or something like that. Guys, this chapter is a bit shorter than it should be, so I apologize about that. Otherwise, Ashley and Rebecca have been sticking around Brad and Joseph a bit more than I wanted, but it's okay. I have it under control.

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Steve's dancing could best be described by the phrase 'explosion of flailing limbs.' He didn't really dance to the beat at all, but Claire didn't mind. She had been in several dance programs and classes when she was a child, before her mother passed away, so she had some basic knowledge of dance.

She was glad that she picked a short dress; she wouldn't have been able to dance with Steve in a floor length one. Her shoes, however, were beginning to make her nervous. About every fifth step she took, she wobbled violently. Steve watched her carefully.

Claire glanced up to him and gave a closed-mouth smile as well. She was having a blast. Leon would've never taken her out to dinner _and _danced with her in the same night.

After Brad's many attempts to get Rebecca to dance, he finally gave up. _He _wanted to dance, but _she _obviously had better things to do, like texting on that damn cellphone of hers.

Rebecca had situated herself at one of the tables, Brad sitting across from her. She told Billy that she missed him, she wanted to be with him right now, how boring this hellhole of a dance was without him...

All Billy could do was apologize.. They couldn't be seen at school functions together. It was too risky. He didn't want to go to jail and lose Rebecca.

"Leon." Ada whispered, her mouth beside his ear. "Why don't we go somewhere more _private_? Just the two of us." She suggested.

"Maybe later." Leon instinctively muttered. He wasn't listening to her, his eyes locked onto Claire and Steve dancing. God, the way that dress hugged her hips, and her ass and the way those stilettos made her legs look... he felt jealousy, and a pang of regret. Sure, Ada was amazing in bed. But she couldn't move like Claire did. Even riding her motorcycle, she looked amazing.

He frowned, realizing who she was with. That punk he'd punched out and gotten some shit from Chris in return. Claire was with _him? _Steve Burnside? For god sakes, he had no idea how to dress. He looked ridiculous in his yellow and blue shirt and camouflage pants, and the only reason that he looked half-decent now, Leon was sure, because Claire had dressed him!

He'd been silently hoping Claire would come back to him, begging for him back. But no. Now she was with that wanna-be gamer _loser. _He narrowed his eyes, fuming.

"Leon!" Ada whined, tugging on his tuxedo sleeve. "Pay ttention to me when I'm talking to you!"

"Huh? Sorry." Leon snapped back, looking to her, "What's up, babe?"

"I want to dance." She responded. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and the only time she did that was when she was pissed. Her dark eyes were narrowed, half-hidden under her bangs. She was unhappy and Leon knew what happened when she was angry...

"Fine." Leon submitted. He didn't like dancing, but he had to piss Claire off now for revenge.

The song changed as Ada and Leon went onto the dance floor. A new, more techno-ish song began pumping into the room from the huge speakers.

Claire recognized this song, it was some club mix of a song she'd heard before. She liked it. It was much easier to dance to.

Joseph perked up immediately. Techno. He could totally dance to this. He was waiting for this all _night._ He grabbed Ashley's hand, causing her to stumble when she stood.

"Joseph!"

"Come on." He gave a toothy grin. "Lets dance."

"I don't like this kind of music!"

"I do! And you've been trying to get me to dance all night, Ashley." Joseph smiled still.

Ashely fell silent for a moment, the governor's daughter considering. She liked Joseph. And only one dance or two to some bad music wouldn't be too bad. Besides, she knew that she could easily get Joseph's mind off the music any time she wanted. Besides, he was about the _only _good looking guy in the drama department who wasn't flaming. She wanted him for herself.

Ashley and Joseph walked to the floor. She paused, moving closer to him as she started to dance, the bottom of her dress flowing with the movement of her hips, rocking back and forth, brushing ever so slightly against Joseph's back. She smirked to herself, moving even closer. She pressed against him.

Joseph focused on dancing. Ashley watched as she kept moving. He looked _good _dancing. She smirked, glancing around to make sure other girls were checking him out. She was proud to be with a cute guy who was sweet _and _could dance very well.

The blonde, however, pressed her body closer to Joseph's, matching his movements. He blinked, finally taking notice of her and blushing a deep red.

Leon's eyes were locked onto Claire again. He just couldn't keep his eyes off of her as she danced. She rolled her hips, her smooth stomach following each time. Her shoulders would dip, her back bending perfectly, and then her hips rolling against the music again. Claire and Steve had about eight inches away from each other.

Leon shuddered. Ada couldn't even dance that well and she was a _cheerleader. _He wondered briefly why he hadn't seen her dance, and remembered it was because they never went to dances together. He frowned to himself, glancing to Ada now.

Ada could've been stripping off her clothes, the way she was dancing. She was _almost _as good as Claire, but not quite. She was definitely sexy, but... for some reason, Leon couldn't even figure it out himself... he wasn't really interested in watching her...

"Are you _sure _you don't want to dance, Rebecca?" Brad asked, near desperate now. He just wanted to dance and not sit here the entire night. Was that so hard to ask for?

Rebecca didn't answer, her small fingers running over the dog tags that she wore around her neck. Brad had seen the chain, but never seen what was on the end of the chain. He squinted, leaning towards her to read the raised writing on the tags.

L...Lieutenant... Billy...Billy... he squinted harder. Coen. ... Billy Coen? He frowned to himself, thinking. He'd heard the name 'Coen' before. But where?

_Mr. Coen._ "Rebecca?"

"Hm?" The nurse in training quickly shoved the dog tags down the front of her strapless dress.

"Billy Coen?"

"W-what?"

"Those dog tags. Don't they belong to _Mr. __Coen_? The new gym teacher?"

The color in Rebecca's face dropped instantly. _Oh fuck._

"Oh my god." Brad grinned after he didn't get a response. "You're with Mr. Coen. _That's _why you've been staying after school almost every day!" It finally snapped. He couldn't help but continue to grin. This was such big news, and he was the first to know. He could ruin lives with this little tiny bit of information. He liked this powerful feeling.

"You can't tell! He'll go to jail!" Rebecca whimpered, twisting her fingers together as she looked at him, praying that he had a better heart than to tell.

"That's because it's illegal!"

"Brad, please..."

The boy was silent before he gave a soft smirk. "Fine. But you have to do something for me!"

"Fine! Anything!" Rebecca whimpered.

"I want a girlfriend who likes me. Not just a girl you pick and pay to go on a date with me.'

"Fine." She gave a sigh, relaxing. It was much tamer than she thought, but Brad was kind-of a prude, so she believed it. "Fine, I'll get you a girlfriend. Just... don't tell anyone, please."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Author's notes: I know guys, I NEVER do AN after the end anymore, but I have a serious question and I didn't want to give it away at the beginning. ...Brad needs a new girlfriend. Would it be cool if I stuck one of my OCs in there just because I ran out of RE characters? XD if NOT, I_ could_ stick an older version of Sherry as Brad's girlfriend. So thoughts? I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please review!


	11. A Suggestion

Disclaimer: I don't own it. :/

Author's notes: ! I decided to do Sherry (Yes, I'm fairly sure BradxSherry is unheard of...) but I think they ended up working out very well together in this little chapter. I wonder how Brad will handle knowing about Rebecca and Mr. Coen... It should turn out to prove interesting, if anything at all. I whipped this out in two periods today at school. It's kind of short, still, but this is like the _fourth _ chapter with this like, stupid dance. Alexia's a bitch, Steve is awkward, Leon's a jerk. These are facts. Guys, I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. Thanks for all of your reviews, views and support! Enjoy!

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The dance was still going strong. A few people had left early, but most everyone who'd arrived on time was still there. The dance floor was nearly full, girls and boys dancing to the beat of the loud music.

Brad, even though he had such valuable information, still could _not _get Rebecca to dance. So instead he watched her wander around the dance. She wouldn't spend long at one group. She'd ask something, groan or complain, and flitter off to the next group of girls. He knew what she was doing. He wasn't embarrassed that Rebecca had to find him a date, but he was disappointed that she couldn't find one faster. Was he _really_ that bad? He looked down at himself. It wasn't that hard to convince a girl to come talk to him, was it?

Rebecca finally found a girl who would talk to Brad. She knew her from her Algebra class. Her name was Sherry, she was blonde, skinny, short and softspoken. She was sweet, and she was single.

She led the girl back over to Brad, who looked up only when Rebecca spoke.

"This is my friend, Brad." She pointed to the light haired boy. He blinked, looking over the smaller girl. She stood maybe five feet tall with her heels on. She was skinny, her unique dress clinging to her figure. It had a blue collar, a blue sash, and blue asymmetrical ruffles at the hem. The rest of it was a soft white. She looked pretty. Brad smiled.

"I'm Brad."

Sherry smiled. "I'm Sherry Birkin." She extended her hand, letting Brad shake it momentarily. He blushed. Her skin was so soft.

"It's nice to meet you..."

"It's nice to meet you too." Sherry repeated with a giggle as she brushed her strawberry blonde hair from her face.

"...would you like to dance?" He asked.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Much to Ashley's liking, the fast, upbeat music turned into a slower love song. She smiled, looking up at Joseph. Yes. _Finally. _

Steve blinked at Claire. Oh, damn. He didn't know how to slow dance. He hardly knew how to _dance,_much less hold a girl at the same time. He frowned lightly.

Claire seemed to pick up on this immediately, however. She took his hands gently, guiding them to where hey needed to be. One hand rested at her waist, and the other held her own softly. She smiled.

Steve blushed softly. He liked being this close to her, enough to feel her hot breath. It was almost embarrassing to admit, even to himself, but he'd never been this close to a was different when he held her when she was crying, or the other night when they'd fallen asleep on the couch together. Those were accidents, and this was deliberate. It was more intimate, and somehow more isolated.

She led, since Steve had no idea what he was doing. He was clumsy and awkward. The motorcyclist found these qualities endearing. Most of the boys she hung around with were so suave and sweet that she felt they were almost too _rehearsed._ But Steve was different, in almost every way. Maybe that's why she felt so...refreshed when she was with him.

They were close together, close enough for their chests to press against one another's. Claire could feel his nervous heartbeat and she smiled. She leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes.

"Aren't they cute, Alexia?" Alfred asked, watching Claire and Steve dance. "I'm glad Claire found someone who treats her better. Leon and Claire never showed _any _affection. It's highly unhealthy and unnatural for a relationship."

"Hello!? He's _unpopular, _he looks like he gets dressed in the _dark_, he's not good looking, he's not in any AP _or_ honors classes..." She paused, watching. "That _haircut._ It's...it's horrendous. I can't believe she'd even consider talking to him, much less get with him!" She frowned. "Claire is _popular _because of her brother. She needs someone who will perpetuate her success and raise her status in the school! Not some wanna-be, loser, outcast _gamer._" Alexia spat.

Alfred frowned. He didn't like it when Alexia said things like that. He knew what they said about him and his sister behind his back. But he just adored her so... "Alexia..."

"What?"

"Alexia, that's not nice. Don't bash other people's love interests. Do you know what they say about us?" He spoke quietly, keeping his blue eyes averted from his sister.

Alexia fell silent before speaking quickly. "It doesn't...it doesn't _matter _what they say about us." Her voice faltered and she fell silent again, thinking. What _did _they say about her and Alfred's relationship?

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Leon and Ada had gone to sit back down. The girl had complained that her feet were killing her, due to her rather high heels. Leon didn't complain, since he didn't like dancing.

Ada had caught him staring at Claire, and shooting glares at Steve. She was angry. Fuming, really. How dare he look at another woman? Especially _her._.. But she had a trick up her figurative sleeve.

Claire didn't put out. She wouldn't. God knows she listened to Leon complain about it enough. That's how they'd ultimately gotten into this nearly forbidden relationship... She had to get his attention, and fast. She didn't want him to go and do something stupid like apologize to her.

"Oh, Leon... what do you say we do something _different _tonight?" She rested a hand on his thigh, leaning against him with a soft smirk on her lips. Within a moment, she had his complete attention again. "You know, we could maybe rent a movie, and rent a hotel room... and _not _sleep?" She whispered, pressing her lips ever so lightly against his ear. She felt him shiver and she smirked. "Or, we can even forget the movie..."

Leon gave a goofy grin, having forgotten all about his ex-girlfriend after the mention of sex with Ada. "Yeah...yeah, that sounds good."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The dance was over closer to midnight than expected. Alexia and Alfred had left shortly after their little argument. Jill and Chris had left hours ago, knowing Steve would keep Claire busy for hours. They needed time to preform their 'ritual.'

Claire, Steve, Ashley, Brad, Joseph and now Sherry (Rebecca had left earlier after she'd begged Mr. Coen to pick her up. Brad was the only one to know this.) all climbed into the back of the limo. They were silent until Ashley broke the awkward quiet with a suggestion.

"Is there anything to drink? It would spice things up." She ran her fingers through her hair, watching Joseph move to dig aruond in the mini-fridge.

A few minutes later, he produced a bottle of sealed wine. It was in a dark green bottle. His fingerprints left little clear marks in the condensation.

Claire blinked, a little nervous. She'd never drank before. Chris never let her. But he wasn't here right now, and it's not like they weren't driving, right? What's the worst that could happen?


	12. Disbelief

Disclaimer: Still not mine. :/

Author's notes: I really enjoy writing this, and for some reason, even though this is my first long running Resident Evil fan fiction, it's very natural for me. I have to answer a few questions. I had someone ask if I had something against Alexia, and I do not. (I absolutely love both her and Alfred.) She just seems like she would have been "too good" for a lot of things. I think because of her intelligence, beauty and money, she sees herself as much better than anyone else at the high school. Which brings me upon Alexia and Alfred's relationship. It's _there._ It's not out in the open like Jill's and Chris's, or Steve's and Claire's, or even Ada's and Leon's, but it's there for sure. I'm going to tell the truth and admit that I am a little afraid of bringing their relationship out like that. It might scare away readers! Or even upset at the twincest. Okay, so as this long rambiling of notes draws to an end. Please let me know if you have anymore questions. You can send them to me via review, or via PM (which is totally cool, btw) I'm not a drinker, I've never had any drinks. So I apologize if my description of the wine is off. :/ Obligatory warning! Sexual content. Oh, and again, more fluff. I'm sorry, I'm a hopeless romantic. /end too long notes. Enjoy!

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Claire held the wineglass to her lips, breathing in the scent. It smelt almost sweet, but there was still that almost overbearing scent of the alcohol. She wrinkled her nose lightly, glancing around at everyone else. Ashley had already nearly drained her glass.

Claire tipped the glass back, watching the red liquid slide over the smooth crystal. It hit her lips first, and then her tongue. It was almost bitter, and almost sweet at the same time. She could taste the fruit. She drank it slowly before she got used to the taste.

The bottle was emptied within the half hour between the group, and Joseph managed to produce another from the fridge. Claire wondered briefly what else was in there. Then she found herself wondering how pissed Chris would be when she came home.

She started on her third glass, now. She was starting to feel a little lightheaded. But she felt relaxed, and she liked the feeling.

The group dropped Ashley and Joseph off first, Joseph promising to give Ashley a ride home later. The next stop was Sherry's house, then Brad's, which left Steve and Claire alone.

Claire ended up having _four _glasses of wine. For some reason, she liked disobeying her brother. It made her feel wild and independent, since her brother kept such a tight hold on her...

"Mmm, My brother's gonna be so pissed." Claire grinned softly. She found herself leaning against Steve, but she didn't seem to mind.

"Maybe you should stay at my place tonight." Steve frowned softly, looking at Claire. He hadn't really had anything to drink. He was worried about the motorcyclist.

"But m'brother's probally already worried about me..."

"Claire, trust me on this."

She smiled, nuzzling against his shoulder and breathing in his cologne. "Alright."

Steve raised an eyebrow at how easily she was convinced, but didn't argue. He wanted to keep watch over her for the night to make sure nothing went wrong.

The limo driver dropped them off at Steve's house, and Steve thanked him as he helped Claire out of the back. She stumbled, giving a surprised cry.

"C'mon..." He took hold of her wrists, tightly, making sure she wouldn't tumble to the ground. "Careful, Claire. Slowly." He backed up, keeping his hands on Claire's wrists.

With teamwork, the couple made it up to the porch and Steve unlocked the door, allowing the girl through first. He closed the door after them, making sure it was locked.

The dogs barked and sniffed happily at Claire's feet. She smiled, petting them. She felt so _calm _and relaxed.

"C'mon, Claire, lets go get you some pajamas."

Claire smiled and nodded, feeling Steve's hands on the small of her back.

She ended up dressed in an oversized t-shirt and a pair of Steve's boxers to sleep in. Her hair was down, a little messy and it fell around her shoulders. She refused to leave Steve alone, feeling rather affectionate, and had dragged him onto the couch to sit with her.

She sat beside him, leaning against him. "Steve...?"

"Hm?" He was fixated on the television, trying to ignore Claire's advances. He knew that if she was sober, she wouldn't be _this _interested. A part of him wanted to take this chance to be with her, but the other part knew it wasn't the right thing to do. He sighed.

She smiled, stroking his thigh somewhat subconsciously. "I had fun tonight. Thank you for taking me to the dance."

"Yeah...sure." He smiled, glancing to her. "I had fun, too. I'm glad I took you."

She smiled softly, leaning forward and kissing him on his lips. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, kissing him again, harder this time.

He blushed, but let her. A kiss wouldn't be too devastating for her. They'd kissed before. Claire even _liked _to kiss him, right? He moved his lips softly against hers.

Claire smiled softly, swinging around to where she was sitting in his lap. Her face was hot. She kissed him again, fingers still resting against his shoulders. She kissed him again, her heart thumping a heavy rhythm.

Steve breathed out slowly when she broke away, nuzzling against his neck. He was flustered, breathing hard, shaking. He loved it when she touched him, the way their skin felt when it rubbed against each other, the way she smelt and her soft lips. He loved everything about her. He just couldn't help himself.

Claire sat up straight, running her fingers through her hair and looking him over. "What...?"

"Nothing..." He looked her over. God, she looked absolutely beautiful in his clothes. They were such a dramatic change from the tight clothes she wore every day. "You're beautiful."  
She smiled softly, kissing him again. This time, she was more aggressive, parting his lips with her tongue. His eyes widened as he allowed this, his face deepening to a deep crimson.

_Oh, god._ He let her, resting his hands on her hips. He was still quivering. He felt her tongue gently stroking against his and he closed his eyes.

Claire broke away again, breathing hard. She moved to pull off Steve's shirt, but he stopped her.

"Claire."

"Comeon." She tugged weakly, trying to pull it over his head. He grabbed her hand.

"Claire, no."

"Why not?!" She whined.

"You're drunk."

"I am not drunk!"

"Claire, if...you're still feeling this way tomorrow, then we can. But not now."

The brunette frowned, moving off of Steve and sitting beside him with her arms crossed. "Hmph."

He sighed softly, turning to the television. He was a little disappointed, sure, but he didn't want to take advantage of her. That, and he didn't want his ass kicked by Chris...

The morning came and Claire was up early with a pounding headache. She sat hunched over, her head in her hands and her eyes closed against the intruding light.

"Fuck." She groaned, glancing up when she heard Steve.

"Morning."

"Morning." She grumbled, sitting up slowly with a wince. "Why'd you let me drink last night?"

He smiled weakly. "You wanted to. I didn't want to stop you from enjoying yourself."

She frowned softly, rubbing her head. "Stop me next time... why didn't you take me home last night?"

"Claire, you were drunk! I didn't want your brother getting mad at me, and I didn't want anything to happen to you."

She rubbed her eyes, watching him. "Oh..."

"You were all over me." He gave a soft smirk, unable to stop himself. He did feel sort-of triumphant about that. He would at least be able to brag to Brad and Joseph.

"What?" The color in Claire's face dropped. "W-what'd I do?"

Steve frowned, moving over to her. "Nothing. Well, I mean, you did kinda kiss me. You kinda kissed me a _lot._ But that's it."

"...promise?" Claire swallowed hard, trying to remember if she'd done anything else. Her memory was fuzzy after the dance let out. She silently cursed herself.

"Promise. You wanted to go further, but I wouldn't let you."

Clare frowned, staring at him. Did she hear him right? He _stopped _her? "...what?"

"You wanted to go further, but I said no. You got really upset." He gave a slight laugh. "You're cute when you're mad."

Claire was silent, biting her lip. Steve cared about her enough to say no to sex, even though apparently she'd been completely willing.

"...are you for real?"

"What?" Steve laughed.

She smiled softly, rubbing her forehead. "You're just... so perfect. You took me to the dance, you rented a limo, you took care of me when I was drunk _and _you said no to sex! What kind of guy does that!?"

"The kind of guy that you should be with." He smiled.


	13. Worry

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Kthanx.

Author's notes: Steve and Claire! Omg. Why do they compel me to write fluff so!? This chapter is a bit longer than normal. I'm having some major issues. So I'll ask yet another poll. Lemon. The more, the better? Or should I save it and make it special for a certain couple? Please review and let me know what you think! Enjoy!

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Claire gave a soft smile. "I deserve someone like you..."

"Claire, you deserve someone that's not going to take advantage of you because you made a mistake. You deserve someone who is going to treat you nicely, take you out to dinner, and dance with you..."

She continued to smile, looking down at the floor. "I...want you to be my boyfriend."

"What?" He frowned, blinking. Did he hear that right?

"I want you to be my boyfriend." She smiled. "I like you, my brother likes you, you treat me like I'm a princess..."

Steve sat down, holding his head for a moment. He felt light-headed. Sure, he was hoping for that, but he didn't actually _believe _she'd go for him.

She smiled, resting a hand on his knee. "What?"

He laughed. "I'm surprised, is all."

"Surprised?"

"I've...never had a girlfriend." He admitted. "I've never even hung out with a girl other than Rebecca!" He glanced hesitantly to her. He was afraid she'd shun him.

"That's _fine._ It means that there aren't girls around for you to be tempted to cheat on me with."

"Claire! I'd never cheat on you."

"And you shouldn't ever be tempted to." She smiled.

He gave a soft smile, looking over her. "Can I kiss you?"

"You don't have to ask." She murmured, leaning over to meet him half way. She drew away after just a moment. "But I haven't brushed my teeth or taken a shower today."

"You want to shower?"

Claire gave a somewhat shy nod. "You won't peek on me, will you?" She half-teased.

Steve blushed a crimson immediately. "N-no_ way._"

Claire laughed.

She turned on the radio in Steve's bathroom, wincing and nearly stumbling back as the music blared. It was some metal station, and it hurt her ears. She flipped to a station where there was a sort of soft pop playing. She turned away from the radio, satisfied.

She began to remove her, well actually, Steve's, clothes. She let them fall to the ground, stepping out of them. She ran her fingers through her hair, grimacing lightly. She wondered why she even let Steve touch her like this.

She turned on the water, watching the hot water stream from the shower head and the steam fog up the bathroom. She wondered if she should call her brother. If him and Jill had taken a break from 'spending time together', she was sure he'd be worried.

She stepped into the shower, feeling the warm water hit her skin and she gave a contented sigh. She pulled the see-through shower curtain around her, feeling a little uneasy. She felt strange showering at someone else's house.

She glanced around for the shampoo and noticed the shower was rather clean, even though Steve didn't have a mother to clean it for him. She smiled softly to herself. He seemed to be somewhat neat.

Steve hovered outside of the bathroom. He had this urge to peek, just to be able to see her naked. He wanted to see her body _so badly _since he refused sex the night before. But she'd specifically said not to peek. And of course, he said he wouldn't.

He sighed, leaning against the wall. Maybe just one little peek wouldn't hurt, right?

He pushed open the door, slowly, peeking in. He spotted her figure through the clear plastic sheet. He blushed instantly, feeling his breath hitch in his chest.

Her wet hair fell to her shoulders, a few shades darker than it was when it was dry. Her shoulders were smooth, and her arms were toned. Her chest was perfect. He'd never seen anything so amazing.

Her stomach was flat, and he could see her belly button piercing resting against her skin It was simple, not like some of the ones that he'd seen on other girls their age. He smiled to himself, eyes drifting lower. Her thighs were beautiful, just enough curves. Brown curls stood out against her pale skin and he finally tore himself away.

He shut the door, leaning up against the wall as he tried to catch his breath. _God, _he smiled. _So beautiful._

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Alfred?" Alexia asked, stroking her brother's hair as he lay in her lap. His legs were stretched out across the couch, watching television. "What....do people say about us?"

Alfred frowned, glancing up to his sister. "Nothing, don't worry about it, Alexia." He turned his attention back to the TV.

"Alfred." She frowned. "Tell me."

The blonde boy gave a sigh, leaning his head back to look at her, upside-down. "They just... whisper awful things, Alexia. Sometimes they tell them straight to my face." He frowned softly. "I'm surprised you've never heard it."

Alexia curled her brother's short hair around one of her slender fingers, silent for a moment. "They don't understand."

"I know, sister."

"No, I mean they just don't understand." She frowned. "I have known you my entire life. How am I to not love you?"

Alfred smiled softly.

"You are the only one I trust." She continued with a slight frown at her pretty little lips.

He nodded, silent. Alexia fell silent as well with a heavy sigh. She shook her head.

"It'll be okay, Alexia. I've got you and you've got me."

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Chris paced the living room, glancing over to Jill periodically. She was waiting by the telephone, and otherwise not paying attention. She flipped through the television channels without any interest.

"What if something happened to her?"

"Chris, she's fine." Jill sighed. "She's sixteen, she can handle herself for a night. She doesn't need her big brother freaking out over every little thing."

"But Jill! She could've been drugged! Or she could've been kidnapped! Oh, god..."

"Oh, please." She rolled her eyes. "You sound like a worried old maid, Chris. Relax."

"I can't! My little sister didn't come home last night!"

Jill shot a glare at him and turned up the TV volume, saying nothing else.

"Why are you not worked up about this?! She could be lying somewhere dead in a ditch!"

Jill cocked an eyebrow, looking to Chris. "Really? Did you just say 'dead in a ditch'?"

Chris frowned, falling silent. "...I guess so."

Jill laughed. "Oh my god. You just used one of the _worst_ over-used by parents phrases _ever._"

Chris scratched the back of his head bashfully, distracted from the fact that Claire was missing for the moment. "Yeah... yeah, I guess I did."

"You need to calm down." She smiled. "Sit with me." She patted the arm of the chair.

Chris gave a sigh and reluctantly sat down beside her. He took her hand, gently intertwining their fingers.

"There we go." The girl murmured, leaning against Chris's shoulder. She stroked Chris' hand lightly with the pad of her thumb. "Your sister will show up soon, I promise."

"What if she doesn't?"

"Then we'll have to go do something to get your mind off of it."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Claire wrapped a towel around herself, stepping out of the bathroom. "Steve! Can I borrow some more clothes, please?"

Steve hesitated before rising. He moved down the hall, covering his eyes when he saw her in nothing but a white towel.

"Uh... just, go pick some out, okay? Anything you want."

Claire smiled. She liked how modest he was. She thought it was adorable. "Alright." She moved towards Steve's bedroom, looking for some clothes. She wondered briefly what Chris would say to her showing up in her now-boyfriend's clothes. She shrugged it off, deciding she'd defend herself by saying Chris and Jill spent the night together_, _all the time. So she could spend _one night _with Steve, right?

She decided on a pair of baggy pants and a white t-shirt. Simple, not too obvious she'd spent the night somewhere else. She pulled them on over her wet hair.

"Steve," She called as she moved down the hall, raking her fingers through her wet locks. "I need to use the phone to call my brother. He's probably having a shit fit right now."

Steve looked up with a soft blush. He couldn't get over how amazing she looked in his clothes. He pointed to the phone, tearing his eyes away.

"Thanks." She dialed her home number, not surprised when Chris snatched up the phone immediately.

"Hello?"

"It's Claire."

"Jesus christ, Claire!" Chris's voice erupted on the other side of the phone. "Where have you been!? Why haven't you called? I've been worried sick!"

"I'm sorry. I wasn't feeling well last night and I decided to crash at Steve's place."

"Did he drug you? I swear to god, I'll kick his ass--"

Jill took the phone away from Chris, shaking her head. "Claire?"

"Hey."

"Your brother has been _freaking out_. He won't shut up."

Claire sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. I just ended up coming home with Steve last night. But don't worry, nothing happened."

"Nothing happened." Jill repeated, looking to her boyfriend. "When are you going to be home?"

"Uh, soon. I need to get some clothes. Can I go now?"

"Yeah. I'll talk to you later, Claire. Get home soon. Bye."

"Later." Claire hung up, setting the phone down. She rolled her eyes. "My brother is such a worrywart."

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Chris finally relaxed, though he was still a little upset that Claire had spent the night at a _boy's _house. With no parents. He sighed, trying to focus his attention on Jill for the moment. He had to keep himself distracted until he could interrogate Claire later...


	14. Double Date

Disclaimer: Resident Evil STILL doesn't belong to me. (Shock!)

Author's Notes: I apologize for taking so long to write out this chapter. I've been sick as _hell _since last Saturday and I'm not getting any better. (Yeah, a week before finals :/ Amazing, right?) Sorta short chapter. Reviews are still GREATLY appreciated. But anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

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Claire moved quietly through the door and closed it behind her, trying not to make a sound. She knew her brother would be mad, and she wanted to avoid the confrontation. She felt so amazing, she couldn't let her brother bring her down.

Much to her dismay, however, Chris was already in the room by the time the door clicked shut.

"Claire!"

"...hey." She winced. _Damn._

"You were at a boy's house!?"

"I was at my boyf_riend's_ house."

"...boyfriend? Claire! Your _boyfriend_!?"

"...Yeah, Steve's my boyfriend now." She smiled. "He took such good care of me that I couldn't help it."

"What did he do to you!? Why are you wearing his clothes?"

"Chris!" Claire whined. "Please, I'm tired, I have a headache. I want to go lay down."

"No! Tell me what he did to you. Did he hurt you?"

She glared at him in place of an answer. He could be so stubborn.

Jill appeared around the corner. "Chris..."

"She won't tell me what he did." He glanced to his girlfriend momentarily before looking back to his sister. She leaned against the wall with a hand to her head.

"Can you not yell?" She murmured.

"What did he do to you?" Her older brother lowered his voice, but kept the harsh tone.

"He didn't do _anything._"

"Why are you in his clothes?"  
"Maybe because I didn't want to sleep in a two hundred dollar dress?" She retorted.

"...fine." Chris frowned, looking her over. "Did you guys have sex?"

She blushed instantly. "You...you have _no _right to ask that."

"Oh, god." Chris stared. "You did!"

"No! Mom told me to save it for someone who I love. Isn't that what you did for Jill?"

Chris fell silent, looking to the brunette who gave a smile. "...yeah..."

"Then you have no right to ask. I'm going to go lay down for a while." She pushed past him, disappearing down the hall and into her room. The door shut behind her.

Chris shook his head. "Jill, I don't know what to do with her."

"She found someone who she likes." Jill wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, resting her head on his back. "You've gotta relax. Give him a chance, would you? I'm sure he's a sweetheart. I mean, look at how well he treated her after the whole deal with Leon..."

Chris sighed and gave a reluctant nod. "Fine."

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When Rebecca awoke, Billy wasn't beside her. She frowned, sitting up and rubbing the back of her head. She peered around, hoping he'd just gotten out of bed. They'd spent the night together. Rebecca would admit, both of them were afraid Brad would tell someone about their secret relationship. She pulled on one of Billy's button up shirts, buttoning it just enough to cover herself as she went seeking her boyfriend.

She neared the kitchen, and she smelt bacon and pancakes. She smiled. He was cooking breakfast. Sure enough, as she rounded the corner into the kitchen, Billy was cooking shirtless.

"Morning." She smiled.

"Oh, morning, Rebecca." He glanced over to her. "I'm making breakfast."

"I woke up and you weren't there. It worried me." She pushed some papers off of his dining room table and took a seat, watching him cook. She smiled. He seemed tough, but she knew first hand that he was really a sweetheart.

"I'm sorry. You just looked so cute sleeping that I couldn't bear waking you." He glanced over to her again with a smile. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Amazing." She smiled, leaning her chin on her hand. She ran her fingers through her hair, watching his arms flex and his muscles move smoothly under his skin as he flipped the pancakes. She shuddered, pulling her eyes away.

"Good. I'm glad." He smiled, piling the hot pancakes onto a plate. He set them in front of Rebecca, who happily drowned them in syrup and began to eat.

"Mm!" She grinned. "Delicious."

He smiled. "I'm glad." He kissed her cheek and sat across from her, picking up a fork and starting on his own plate of pancakes.

"Can we go out today, Mr. Coen?"  
"If you stop calling me that in public." He raised an eyebrow, watching her reaction.

"Oh, but I like calling you Mr. Coen..."

"I know, but other people might get the wrong idea, Rebecca."

The younger girl gave a heavy sigh. "Fine. Billy."

He smiled. "You'll get used to it."

Rebecca gave a slight shrug as she fingered the dog tags around her neck.

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Claire ran her fingers over Steve's tie, making sure it was straight. She combed through his somewhat messy hair with her long fingers, trying to tame it. She had to make him look presentable to Chris. She sighed, wondering silently what had happened. He liked him when he was taking care of her, but as soon as they started dating, he was back into super-protective mother mode.

Jill had suggested, after Claire got up from her post-hangover nap, that they go on a double date. Claire had agreed, deciding it would be a nice way to be able to spend time with Steve, _and _show her brother how great of a guy he was.

"What?" Steve blinked.

"Huh?"

"You sighed. What's wrong?"

"Oh... just, my brother." She smiled softly, brushing a loose strand of hair from his soft face. "He's just so over protective. He said he wanted to kick your ass because he thought you _drugged _me." She gave a weak laugh, but she knew it wasn't funny. She hated that about her brother.

"He just loves you, Claire."

"Yeah, yeah." She sighed, resting a hand on his chest lightly. "I know he loves me."

"It's gotta be nice to have someone to care about you like that."

"Steve..." She frowned softly, stroking the side of his face. "I care about you."

"Yeah, I know, Claire." He smiled softly, leaning down and kissing her softly on the mouth.

She smiled softly, wrapping her arms around his neck and standing on her tiptoes to meet him.

Chris cleared his throat in the doorway. "Are you two ready?"

She broke away, looking up to Steve. "Ready?"

Steve gave a nod, giving an apprehensive glance towards Claire's older brother. He couldn't mess up. Chris was stronger than Leon. There was no way he could take him. He swallowed hard.

Claire took his hand softly, leading him out to Chris's car. They climbed into the back seat, silently as Jill and Chris took the front. They were chattering away.

Claire kept a hold on Steve's hand. She could tell he was nervous. She would admit that she was too. She was afraid that after what happened with Leon, that Chris might just keep her from seeing_ any _boy.

They arrived at the restaurant. Claire had been there before. It was Jill's favorite Italian restaurant. It was just romantic enough without being overly dressy, and the food was good too.

Steve was out first, fumbling to help his new girlfriend out of the car. She smiled and took his hand.

"Steve...just be yourself, okay?" She murmured, leaning in close to fix his collar.

Steve frowned. "What if your brother doesn't like me? What am I gonna do?"

"Don't worry about that right now..." She kissed his cheek. "Come on, lets go inside." She smiled, taking his hand again and leading him into the restaurant.

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	15. Separation

Disclaimer: Resident Evil still doesn't belong to me.

Author's notes: WHY DOES HIS NAME HAVE TO BE CHRIS? One of the rules of naming characters is to not put an 's' at the end of their name. Any time he comes up, I have to take special pains to punctuate correctly. Uh. Yeah. Steve bashing, it happens a LOT in this fic for some reason. Sadface. No one likes poor Stevie. But ANYWAYS. I like the fact that you guys are favoriting, but I'd also like some reviews. I like to know what you guys are thinking. Please and thank you! I'll be (not-so) patiently awaiting them! Enjoy the chapter, guys.

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The two girls were talking in hushed tones, leaving the two boys to talk between themselves. (Steve wasn't very happy about this.) Chris kept sending threatening glares to his sister's new boyfriend across the table.

Steve shifted uncomfortably, playing absentmindedly with his silverware and keeping his gaze averted from Chris. He was half-afraid he would just jump across the table and start beating the crap out of him. He shuddered, sparing a glance to him.

"So, Steve. Tell me about yourself." Chris continued to stare at him.

The younger boy hesitated before sitting up straight and looking him in the eye. He acted like he was staring down a hungry dog. He couldn't show his fear.

"I'm sixteen. I have three dogs at home, I don't live with my parents. I do not plan on sleeping with your sister." He glanced to Claire. "I don't play any sports and I don't drive." He crossed his arms.

Chris nodded, silent. "Have you ever had a girlfriend before?"

"...no." He admitted after a brief period of silence. "Claire is my first." He felt Claire's hand wrap around his under the table and he couldn't hide a soft smile.

Chris raised an eyebrow. "Really now."

"That's right." Steve gave a smile.

Chris gave a laugh. "Alright!"

Claire smiled, leaning in to kiss Steve's cheek. "I think he likes you."

After the double date, the couples parted ways. Jill and Chris headed home, while Claire stayed with Steve. She couldn't seem to get enough of him. The sun was starting to set and it cooled off.

Claire suggested a walk in the park. It'd be nice to be outside in the evening. They walked with fingers intertwined. Claire's touch was so soft and feminine. Steve loved every second of it.

"Your brother's over protective, huh?" He murmured softly.

Claire smiled. "He likes you. He won't be so harsh anymore... I think, after Leon, he's just so worried that I'll get hurt again. But I found you..."

Steve smiled softly, feeling triumphant. He felt so... empowered, to have such a beautiful girl like Claire as his girlfriend. To tell the truth, he never really felt so important.

"Lets sit." Claire smiled, leading the redhead over to one of the big, leafy trees. They sat down underneath, Claire snuggled up with him. She leaned her head back against his shoulder.

Steve felt his heart began to speed up. He just loved being so close to her. He smiled, silently.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Leon left Ada's house shortly after the sun went down. He knew her parents were due home any minute, and he didn't want to be caught in her bedroom.

He turned on the music, just about as loud as it would go. He liked his music loud. He drove a blue jeep. It was an older model, but he didn't really mind. He still got any girl he wanted. Well, except for Claire.

He was still fuming that the little brat Steve had gotten her to rebound so quickly after they broke up. He was one of the most popular guys in school, how could she go for a nobody like _him?_

He rolled to a stop at one of the stop signs, glancing over casually to the park. A few kids were running around the playground area. He hated kids.

He spotted a couple being lovey-dovey under a tree and he rolled his eyes. How could people do that? That was something he didn't have to deal with Claire anymore, at least.

_Oh, shit. Claire._ Leon blinked, frowning softly as he leaned closer. It was Claire and her new boyfriend, or whatever he was. She didn't have the right to call him that, since he knew she wouldn't put out for him.

He growled softly. He hit his fist on the wheel, causing the horn to sound. He shook his head, pushing the pedal down and speeding off with squealing tires.

Claire jumped lightly, hearing the horn out of nowhere. She frowned, watching the jeep speed off. It looked familiar, but she shook the feeling off. She sighed.

"Some people." she murmured, leaning back against Steve.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The school bell sounded for Monday morning classes and the entire student body seemed to be hungover from the dance the Friday before. Everyone moved slowly into the high school.

Claire hung back in the parking lot with Steve. She could make a mad dash for her first period after the two minute bell had rung. For now, she wanted to spend those few extra minutes with Steve.

She kissed him softly, touching his forehead. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too." He smiled.

She knew it'd be their first day with only seeing each other during lunch and after school. She wondered if she was going to sit with him and Joseph and Brad, or if he was going to sit with her and her brother...

She heard the two minute bell ring and she sighed, breaking away. She shouldered her backpack. "I'll see you later, Steve."

Steve smiled. "I can't wait." He watched her run off, finding himself focused on her tight jeans, especially in her behind-area.

He pulled his messenger bag over his shoulder, heading towards the school building now. He couldn't be late. His eyes were focused on the ground as he walked. He only looked up when shadows fell in front of him.

_Oh shit. _It was Leon. He was with two other boys. One of them seemed older and even _bigger _than Leon. He swallowed hard. The other boy was tall and skinny with dark, long hair that he wore slicked back. Spanish.

"Can...Can I help you, Leon?" Steve crossed his arms, trying to seem unafraid. It worked with Chris, why wouldn't it work with Leon?

"This is my friend Krauser." He jerked his thumb to the bigger boy. "And Luis." He smirked.

"Oh, are you guys going to have a tea party or something?" He retorted, narrowing his eyes. "That's great, but I'm straight. I've gotta get to class." He moved to push past the three, but Leon grabbed him by the front of the shirt, hauling him up.

"Don't you dare talk to me that way."

Steve growled, kicking lightly in the air. Oh damn, if he could pull him up without effort like this, he was fucked. "Let _go._"

Leon dropped him, watching him fall to the ground, legs crumpling beneath him. He cursed softly, moving to stand up on now shaking legs.

"What do you want?" Steve growled.

"I want Claire back." Leon crossed his arms. "Give her to me."

"She's not an item...You can't just have her. You ass." He growled. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins, making him quiver. He was ready for a fight this time. "She's an amazing girl and you gave her up for that skank Ada."

He growled, pushing him back. Steve stumbled. Leon glared, taking a step forward. "You have until the end of school to dump her."

"What if I dont?" Steve glared.

"I'll kick your ass."

"I'm not afraid of you." He growled, taking a step towards him so they were just inches apart. He stood on his tip-toes to be as tall as him. "She's mine. You can't have her. It's your fault for being such a _moron_ and cheating on a beautiful girl like her in the first place." He spoke slowly, trying to seem as calm as possible.

"Talk to me out of turn one more time, I dare you." Leon narrowed his eyes.

"You better listen to him, Amigo." Luis smirked, watching Leon.

"Shut up." Steve growled, turning to Luis. He was smaller. He could take him on. "You're not part of this."

There was a laugh from the Spanish boy, but nothing else.

Steve was still shaking. He knew he was late to class, but he had to defend Claire. There was NO way he'd let this asshole take her away from him.

Leon smirked. "I'll talk to you after school, kid. You better have broken up with her by then."

Steve glared as the three walked off. He took a deep breath as soon as they were far enough away. Suddenly, he was aware of the pain in his legs. It was only a minor stinging pain. He'd ripped both the knees out of his pants when Leon dropped him. He sighed softly. They were bleeding slightly. He shook his head, cursing softly to himself.

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	16. Threat

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Author's notes: I recently put up a Claire/Steve songfic. It's very fluffy, you guys should definitely check it out for me. It's set in the same universe as this. So anyways, aside from the shameful plug... school is over very shortly. But I don't know how often I'll be whipping out fanfics after it's out. I'll have extra time to spare, so we'll see how it goes. Reguarding Steve vs Leon fight... Steve seems really wimpy, but when he gets his adrenaline going, he can kick ass. Remember the Bandersnatch he took down with his lugers? Or when he killed his father? Yeah. When Claire's in danger, he turns into like ... super Steve. SO ANYWAYS. Enjoy! Reviews are greatly appreciated!

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Steve hurried into the Cafeteria as soon as possible, looking around for Claire and her brother. He was trying to debate if he wanted to enlist Chris's help or not. He wanted to stand on his own and protect his girlfriend, but... he knew the three guys would kick his ass if he didn't have some back up.

He spotted them. "Claire, Chris!" He waved as he practically ran over. "...I've got a problem." He sat down by the brother and sister pair.

Claire frowned softly. "What's wrong?"

"This morning, right after you left..." He trailed off, falling silent for a moment or two. "Leon wants me to break up with you."

Claire frowned. "What?"

Steve glanced to Chris. "Yeah, but I told him there was no way that he could have you back after how badly he hurt you. I told him to take a hike."

The biker smiled. "You're sweet..."

"...yeah, listen, I won't be able to hang out after school today, alright?"

Claire frowned, looking to Chris and then back to Steve. "Why...why not?"

"I've just got to... stay after class and make up a test, alright?" He leaned forward, kissing her softly across the table. "I'll call you when I get home though, okay?"

Claire frowned, watching him run off. She sighed, leaning her chin in her hand. "Chris, I'm worried about him. He hasn't passed up an opportunity to spend time with me since we started dating..." She looked to her brother again.

"I'll talk to him after school, alright?" He murmured, crossing his arms.

"Thanks..." Claire smiled weakly, looking off in the direction he disappeared in. She just hoped he wasn't taking what Leon said about breaking up seriously. She didn't want to give him up.

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After school, Steve hung around in the parking lot. He refused to run away like a scared animal. He was going to stick around for the fight, even though he was sure that he'd get pulverized. He glanced around casually, trying to seem as calm as possible.

He silently prayed that it would just be him versus Leon. At least he'd have half of a chance then. He couldn't take on Krauser, Luis _and _Leon at the same time. He glanced around, wondering where he was. Finally, he spotted him. He was walking right towards him.

Steve crossed his arms. "What took so damn long?"

He growled. "What'd I tell you about talking to me like that?"

Steve said nothing, his eyes narrowed.

"...did you break up with her?"

"No." The younger boy continued to glare. "I didn't. I'm not going to. I told you that."

"I'm afraid I'll have to kick your ass, then." Leon grabbed a fistful of his shirt again. Steve growled, pushing him away but trying to maintain his cool.

"Fine."

"What?" Leon frowned, faltering for a moment. He growled, shaking him lightly.

"I'll take you on. I'll let you beat the shit out of me. I don't _care. _You can't have Claire." He glared, digging his nails against Leon's wrist. He was hoping to draw blood.

Leon threw him down much like he did the time before, but he landed on his feet now. He smirked softly, a little surprised with himself. He didn't know he had such cat-like reflexes. He took a deep breath.

"You leave Claire alone."

"Don't talk to me that way!" Leon pushed him backwards, watching him stumble with a smirk.

"Don't touch me." There was a growl as he looked to the bigger boy.

Leon threw the first punch this time, Steve felt it connect with his shoulder. Seconds later, before he actually had time to think about his reaction, he already was aiming for his feet. He'd seen it in his video games enough times; in fact, it was Joseph's character's special move. He hit Leon's ankles with the bottom of his shoes.

Leon gave a surprised yell, feeling his legs disappear from under him as he fell to the ground. He hit the pavement with the full force on his elbow. There was a cracking sound, and a near instant shooting pain through his shoulder.

Steve smirked, knowing that he had him now. In a sudden burst of energy, he straddled him, squeezing his knees into his ribs.

Leon growled, trying to push him off. He couldn't do much with the pain in his shoulder.

"Are you going to stay away from Claire?" He grabbed a fistful of his hair.

The older boy swung up and hit him in the chin. Steve growled. He could taste just the slightest hint of blood.

"Fuck off." Leon growled, pushing him off as hard as he could. He finally pushed Steve off and managed to get to his feet, holding his elbow and shoulder straight with a glare.

"Are you going to stay away from Claire?"

"Not a chance." He growled, but he turned nonetheless and began to walk away. He was so _upset._ He didn't know what he had to do to get Claire back, but he'd get her back.

Steve smirked, watching him. He'd never felt so... proud before. Sure, he knew it was luck the way Leon fell. But he won. And only with a few bruises and where his mouth was bleeding. (He couldn't tell where, but his teeth had caused it when Leon hit him in the chin.)

He decided to drop by Claire's instead of calling. He just felt so... manly. He had to go talk to his girlfriend. _His _girlfriend. He turned to head towards the Redfield's house, and then he saw Chris.

He frowned. "...hey, Chris... how long have you been here?"

"...a while..."

Steve glanced over his shoulder. "...did you see that?"

"I didn't know you could fight like that." Chris suddenly gave a laugh. "I'm gonna let you handle yourself next time, okay? Man..."

"Yeah... I just, I was so upset that he was trying to take Claire away from me that I just...snapped." He murmured softly, scuffing the ground with the toe of his shoe, a little embarrassed.

Chris smiled. "Come on, I'll give you a ride home."

"Actually, I was planning to go to your house to see your sister." He smiled softly.

"...alright. I think that ought to cheer her up."

"What? Why does she need to be cheered up?"

"She was really upset that you didn't want to hang out with her. She went home with Jill right after school. She...thought you were gonna break up with her."

"Never!" Steve frowned softly, following the other boy to his car.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Jill sat at Claire's feet, painting her toenails red for her in an attempt to make her relax.

"You know Steve isn't going to break up with you." She murmured softly, peeking up at her boyfriend's sister through her bangs. "He's much too sweet of a guy."  
Claire sighed, looking up to the woman that basically became her sister over the last few years. "You think so?"

"Claire, you should think so! You know him better than any of us.... speaking of," Jill gave a coy smirk. "How well _do _you know him?"

Claire flustered immediately, figuring out exactly what she was alluding to. Chris and Jill had only been together for eight months when they first... consummated the relationship. Steve and Claire had only been dating for a short period of time.

"Oh, Jill...why do you have to ask me that?"

Jill squealed. "Oh, you did! When?"

"No, I haven't." she frowned softly. "I'm not on birth control... not to mention Chris would have a_ fit._"

"That's the truth." Jill nodded, knowing how over-protective he was of his younger sister. "I'll talk to him, okay?"

Claire smiled softly. "Okay. Thanks..."

"So when do you plan on giving it up?"

"I might not." She murmured. "It's not like I haven't thought about it, but... I don't know."

"It's okay." Jill smiled, keeping her eyes on Claire's pretty little toenails. "It all depends on when you're ready."

"Yeah, I know." Claire smiled. "You're amazing Jill, you know that?"

She smiled softly, glancing up to her for a moment.

Claire frowned, hearing the door open. "There's Chris... finally. He took forever."

"But it was nice having some girl time." Jill smiled.

Jill nodded in agreement and stood to greet her boyfriend. Much to her surprise, Steve was the first one through the door.

"Claire?"

"Steve..." She smiled softly, standing carefully as to not mess up her toenails that Jill took forever to do. "I thought you didn't want to see me today."

"I lied." He smiled. "I just had something to take care of."

Chris hit him playfully on the back. "You should see this guy fight! He can hold his own."

"Fight?" Claire frowned. "...Steve, fight? Did you get in a fight!?"

"...yeah." He admitted. "With Leon. Kicked his ass." He smirked, rubbing his mouth softly with his thumb. He felt so amazing. Like he deserved to be with Claire for once.

"You beat Leon!" Claire gasped. "Did he hurt you!?"

"Yeah, he hit me in the mouth. I bled. But I'm fine now. I busted his shoulder really bad."

"Steve... you can't just get in fights. He gave you a black eye _and _a concussion last time! Oh, he could do so much more..."

Steve smiled, taking her hands gently. "Claire, please. I'll be fine. Just relax."

She whimpered softly but gave a nod. "I just worry about you. You know that..."

"Yeah." He smiled. "I know, Claire. But don't worry, like Chris said, I can handle myself..."


	17. Promise

Disclaimer: This piece of fan fiction belongs to me, however, Resident Evil and the characters _in _this fan fiction do not, and I am writing this purely to torture them – I mean, have fun.

Author's notes: Love the reviews! Thank you so much! I'm updating at least once a week, so if you want, go ahead and author alert me so you know when new stuff is posted. I know during the course of this, I'm planning other fan fictions to write. There WILL be several lemons, because those are fun to write. If there's anything you guys wanna see outside of this fanfiction, go ahead and suggest them to me! Lets see, I put more of the minor characters in this chapter. I have fallen in love with Brad for some reason. I swear to god, he's just such a cutie pie! Still on the topic of Brad, for some reason, I really like older SherryxBrad. I just think they're so cute together! So please read, review, favorite, whatever! Enjoy the chapter, guys.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

What seemed like _days _later, Leon was finally released from the hospital emergency room. He had to wait in line for hours before a doctor would look at his shoulder. The entire while he sat and cursed the fact that Steve had gotten a lucky shot in.

He had to call Ada for a ride. Luis had dropped him off in his jeep and drove it home. (Leon couldn't hardly move his arm, much less drive a standard.)

"Babe?"  
"Yes?" Came Ada's calm, cool voice on the other end of the line.

"Can you come pick me up from the hospital?"

"Which hospital?" She asked without missing a beat.  
Leon frowned softly. That's something he missed about Claire. If he even _mentioned _the word 'hospital', Claire would be in tears, asking what happened and if he was okay. Ada only seemed to have any emotion when she wanted something...

"The one on Mission and Army." He murmured softly, glancing around as he made his way to the front entrance of the hospital.

"Wait for me outside." Ada hung up. Leon frowned, knowing _something _was wrong, but he couldn't figure out what. Ada always left him with a sultry, 'Can't wait to see you' before ending the call.

He sat on the low wall outside. He kept his elbow close to his body. It was in a splint. He'd ended up just fracturing the collar bone and jamming his shoulder and elbow. He couldn't really move it for about six weeks. But there wouldn't' be any permanent damage. God, he couldn't even fathom what he'd have to do to Claire's new boyfriend if he'd caused any problems for him with sports.

Ada pulled up in her sleek red convertible. She waved him over with a flick of the wrist, hardly even looking at him from behind her dark, designer sunglasses.

Leon hopped in the passenger side, careful to keep his elbow still. "Thanks, babe."

"What happened?" She asked quietly, hardly even sparing him a sideways glance.

"Got in a fight. The son-of-a-bitch played dirty and he hit my ankles. I fell." He murmured, gesturing to his elbow with his free hand. He frowned softly. Ada still wasn't even giving him any attention. "What's wrong?"

"Why'd you get in a fight, Leon?"

_Oh shit._ "Uh. Y'know, he told me that he didn't think I could kick his ass. He cheated, though. I would've won otherwise."

"Really, Leon? Weren't you fighting Clarie's new boyfriend?" She nearly spat, finally turning to face him. "I heard. You want her back. Is that true?"

"Ada..." He murmured softly.

"You want her back." her voice turned back into the stoic tone that Leon recognized.

"Ada, you've gotta understand. Just seeing him with that _nerd_. It makes my blood boil. She went from _this,_" He gestured to himself. He was muscular and handsome, and he played sports. What didn't Claire like? "To that pale, weak little bitch!"

She was silent for a long while before she finally spoke, eyes still turned to the road. "What are you going to do to make it up to me, Leon?" She asked. She refused to even look at him right now.

Honestly, she was hurt. She'd been in the relationship to get expensive gifts from Leon, but now she was starting to fall for him. Damn.

"I guess I'll buy you some gold earrings." Leon sighed softly. Ada always asked for something expensive to make up for something stupid Leon did. He always complied and bought her whatever she wanted...

"That's...not what I want, Leon." She heard herself saying softly.

Leon frowned. "What? What...do you want then, Ada?" He was surprised.

"I want to go out to a nice dinner." She thought for a moment and glanced over. "Please?"

Leon blinked, _very _surprised now. She only said please in the bedroom. "Uh...yeah, sure, Ada. If that's what you want." But he leaned back, shaking his head. Girls were so confusing.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Jill, come here."

"Hm?" The brunette asked, looking up from doing the dishes to see what her boyfriend wanted.

"Come sit with me."

"I'm doing chores. You should probably be helping me. This house is pretty messy the way it is." She raised an eyebrow.

"Come on....pleaaaase?" Chris asked, watching her where she was.

She gave a sigh, drying the last dish and setting it on the counter as she walked into the living room. "What?"

"Sit with me." He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his lap. Jill gave a surprised squeak but did nothing to stop him. She nuzzled against him with a smile.

"You're awfully affectionate tonight." She felt his hand moving beneath her and she squealed. "A-Ah! Chris!"

"I called you over here to give you a present."

"A present?" she smiled softly, shifting so Chris's hand wasn't beneath her legs anymore.

"That's right..." He pulled out a small velvet box.

Jill found herself flustering, her thoughts immediately going to a wedding ring. She wasn't ready for marriage...

Chris opened the box to reveal a ring. Jill swallowed hard, looking up to him.

"Chris..."

"It's a promise ring." He smiled softly, taking it out of the box.

Jill relaxed immediately, letting out a relieved sigh. Chris slipped it on her finger. It was silver with a blue stone for her, and a green stone to represent Chris.

"Do you like it?" He asked softly. She smiled, holding it up to the light.

"It's beautiful." She whispered softly. She smiled softly, keeping her hand out. "I love it, Chris."

"Yeah, well I love you." Chris gave a smile, leaning in and kissing her softly. "I'm glad you like it."

"What're the gem stones...? Is it a blue diamond and an emerald?" She smiled.

Chris gave a somewhat weak laugh now, scratching the back of his head. "That'd be about four hundred dollars over my budget. They're both spinel." He smiled softly. "They sure do sparkle like diamonds, don't they?"

Jill smiled. "I love it. Thank you so much." She kissed him gently, leaning back against him and holding her hand up to let the light glint off of the stones now. "You're so romantic."

He smiled. "I wanted to give it to you on our anniversary, but I didn't want to wait that long."

She smiled still, closing her eyes. "You're too perfect."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Brad wandered up and down the aisles of the supermarket, trying to decide what to cook for dinner. He held a small, plastic basket in his hands, eyes scanning the shelves for something that he found appealing.

Suddenly there were a pair of arms around him. He gave a yell, dropping the basket and letting it clatter to the floor. He tried to squirm out from underneath the person, eyes wide the entire time.

The arms loosened and finally pulled away. He looked over his shoulder slowly, breathing heavily.

"Sherry..."  
"Well yeah!" She pouted, crossing her arms. "Who'd you think it was?"  
He swallowed hard, running a finger under the collar of his t-shirt. "I...don't know, m'sorry. I'm jumpy!"

"I can tell that." The blonde continued to pout. "I'm sorry. I saw you when I came in with my Mom and I had to come over and say hi."

"It's okay." He smiled softly, rubbing the back of his head, feeling very embarrassed right now. "Just give me a little warning next time, okay?"

"Yeah..." Sherry smiled softly, twisting her fingers together.

"Sherry!" Her mother called, pausing at the end of the Aisle.

"...come meet my mom." Sherry smiled, taking Brad's hand and dragging him to where her mother stood.

"Uh, Hi, Mrs. Birkin." He kept his eyes down.

"Call me Anette." She smiled.

"Anette..." He repeated, feeling how strange it felt on his tongue. All of his friend's parents made him call them Mrs. and Mr. Suchandsuch. He took a deep breath, standing tall and looking at her. "I'm Brad."

Sherry grinned at her mother. "He's the one that I met at the dance."

"It's nice to meet you, Brad." Anette smiled. "But we have to go Sherry, we have to get home and make dinner before your father gets home."

Sherry pouted softly. "Okay, mom." she turned to Brad, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. It made him flush. "Call me tonight?"

"Y-Yeah." He smiled, watching her go. He was glad that Rebecca had introduced them now. He'd never had a girl be interested in him before.


	18. Wake Up

Disclaimer: Resident Evil still doesn't belong to me.

Author's notes: On a personal note, school is officially out for the summer. Yay! Okay, so other than that, I've had a bad bout of writers block, so I wrote a lemon or two. The Jill/Chris one is posted under 'Boring Saturday.' I'll have an Ada/Leon (canon!!) posted soon enough with luck. Lotsa lemons coming for some reason, guys. So check them out if you want to, don't if you're not into those kinda things. Even though this entire fic has been sort of sweet and lighthearted, I can't help but dip into my roots and go for the drama. Sorry guys! It might be a refreshing change. Maybe, maybe not. Otherwise, I apologize for my slow updates. I'm having to up my rating from a T to an M because of the language and other things that will be upcoming. Other than that, this chapter is a little bit longer than normal. I apologize for the long wait, and I'll be expecting your reviews! Thanks, and please enjoy!

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Claire breathed in the mountain air happily. She could smell pine, dirt, and most importantly, the absence of the pollution from the city. She loved being in the mountains. Unfortunately, her big brother never let her come alone.

She was away from the city with Steve. They'd borrowed Chris' car, (as they couldn't very well drive Claire's motorcycle up into the Arklay Mountains) packed a lunch in the cooler, and set out for the afternoon alone. Currently, they were seated at a wooden picnic table, under some beautiful trees. They were enjoying potato salad, fresh fruit, some dessert and homemade sandwiches from Jill. (She always made the best sandwiches.)

They were planning on going for a walk after lunch and spend just about as much time in the mountains as possible, much to Claire's delight. She was even surprised that Chris let them both borrow his car _and _go up in the mountains alone. Not only was the pathway up to the mountains dangerous, but there were wild dogs that roamed the mountains in the evening.

She smiled to herself, figuring that because Steve had held his own in the fight against Leon, Chris trusted him a whole lot more now. She was so glad.

"What're you smiling about?" Steve asked through a mouthful of potato salad.

Claire continued to smile. "I'm just glad my brother likes you."

He swallowed a mouthful of coke, giving a nod. "Yeah. Me too." He agreed, glancing over her. "Is that really all you're thinking about?"

"That and how glad I am to have you." She gave a smile, taking a drink of her soda.

Steve gave a grin and she continued to smile.

After lunch, cleaning up their mess, and washing their hands with bottled water so as to not attract the wandering dogs, they set out on a walk.

They took a smooth path up the mountain, silent for a while and just listening to the quiet of the forest. She loved everything about the mountains. The air, the lack of sounds, the privacy... She sighed, contented.

Steve glanced over to her, gently taking her hand with a smile. She intertwined her fingers in his, glancing over to meet his stare.

"Like it up here?"

"Love it." She murmured softly.

They walked hand in hand up the trail, silent for most of the time while Claire listened to the birds chirp and the little stream wash by. It was a little awkward for Steve, being silent, but he didn't say a word. He wanted to let her enjoy this.

"Lets sit and watch the water." She smiled, tugging gently on his hand.

Steve gave a nod. "Sounds good."

Claire smiled, sitting on the bank of the water and watching it go by. She loved water almost as much as she loved being in the mountains. In fact, she wanted to spend some time on Hawaii and the other tropical islands when she got older.

She sat close to him, fingers still tangled in his. She leaned her head on his shoulder, causing the redhead to smile.

"Happy?"

"Very." She smiled. "I'm glad you took me up here." She kissed him softly. He returned her kiss, smiling to himself.

"You know I'll do anything for you, Claire." He whispered.

They made their way back down the trail, knowing the sun was getting ready to set. They made sure everything was packed before they set out to drive back into Raccoon City. They were sure they wouldn't be home until after dark. Claire didn't mind. She didn't particularly enjoy driving in the dark, but she could do it. She made sure her cell was turned on. As soon as they got into an area with service, she had to call Chris.

Steve flipped on the radio, tuning it to some rock station. Claire gave a slight roll of her eyes, but nothing else. She didn't really like his taste in music, but she wouldn't complain about it. It was a long drive, and she didn't want to start a fight.

She felt Steve's soft hand on top of hers and she glanced over with a smile. "Hm?"

He kissed her softly. "That." He smiled.

She chuckled softly. "You're so affectionate."

The sun set by the time they made it to the city limits. Claire flipped open her cell phone, dialing her home number and listening to it ring as she drove with one hand.

"Hello?"

" Hey, We're on our way home." Claire glanced over to the passenger side, where Steve was zoned out, staring out the window. She shook her head.

"How long?"

"Soon. We just hit the city limits."

"How soon?"

"Chris! I'll be home soon."

"It's just that it's dark, and late. You need to hurry."

"...bye, Chris." Claire rolled her eyes, hanging up the phone. She slipped the phone into the cup holder. "Steve, I'm going to drop you off first, alright?"

Steve looked up and gave a nod. "...interested in coming in with me?" He gave a smile.

"I can't, I've gotta get home before Chris has a bitch fit."

Claire pulled up in Steve's driveway, leaning over to give him a goodbye kiss.

"I'll call you when I get home. Sound good?"

Steve nodded. "Can't wait."

"Thanks for the amazing date."

"Anything for you." Steve smiled, standing up straight and running his fingers through his hair. "Talk to you soon, Claire."

She watched him walk up to his house and disappear, closing and locking the door behind himself. She changed the radio station almost immediately back to her station. The loud music made her head pound. Frankly, she couldn't figure out why Steve listened to that kind of music.

She shook her head, pulling out of the driveway and heading down the street to her house. She frowned when she heard her phone start to ring. She sighed heavily, flipping it open.

"Yes, Chris?" She asked, annoying as she already knew who it was.

"Where are you?"

"I just dropped Steve off. I'm on my way home _right _now. Relax."

"Alright. I'll see you soon, then." she hung up with a roll of her eyes. The light turned green and she began to roll into the intersection, glancing around to make sure it was safe before speeding up.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw it. Two headlights blaring right into her windows. She frowned, looking over. _Oh, fuck. _The car was about the size of her brother's, a dark color, either navy blue, dark brown or black, she couldn't tell in the darkness. It was heading down the road quickly, and she could tell it wasn't going to stop.

She felt her heart pounding in her chest. Her eyes were wide. She knew what was going to happen, the car was going to hit her and she couldn't do anything about it. She went to reach for her phone, to call her brother for help. It was on impulse, an instinct.

The car hit where Steve would've been sitting and she was grateful for about half a second she'd dropped him off. The metal crumpled before her eyes and everything was going in such a slow motion. It felt surreal, and she wondered briefly if she had fallen asleep with Steve up in the mountains. _What a nice thought._

The car she was driving was forced onto it's side and Claire felt her head hit the top of the car and then the door. The metal sent a sharp pain through her head, her shoulder, the entire left side of her body. _Damn. _She felt a hot, sticky liquid running down the side of her face, but she couldn't figure out what it was.

There was a metallic taste in her mouth, like pennies. She blinked slowly and there was another shock of pain through her head. She tried to take in a deep breath, but found it almost impossible. There was pressure somewhere along her chest _and she couldn't breathe._ Her body was hot, shaking, and that metallic taste in her mouth was making her want to vomit.

The pain was terrible, coursing through her body at each erratic, struggling breath she took. _But the pain stopped, almost as suddenly as it began. She could breathe again, and there was sweet relief. The burning hot feeling all over her body was replaced with a cold feeling. She liked the cold much better... _

_The ground was moving underneath her, like she was swimming on her back or floating on a cloud. It was fast, though, which made her frown and look around. She could only see white. White walls, white floors, white lights above her head. She wondered briefly if she _was_ on a cloud. Where else would be this damn _white?

_She heard voices, rushed and frantic, but she couldn't recognize any of them, and she couldn't figure out what they were saying. She was silent, listening to them move around her. She drifted out after a little while of the monotonous voices and sporadic movement around her. She just wanted to rest. _


	19. Beginning

Disclaimer: Resident Evil does not belong to me.

Author's notes: Guys, I'd never kill Claire off. I love her too much to do that to her. Uh, lets see. Italics in this chapter means dreaming. Yay, I finally found some way to bring Rebecca back into the picture! I'm so proud of myself! I originally wrote this chapter with a male nurse, but then I realized that I had my very own nursing student already built into the story! Anyways, please enjoy and review! Thanks!

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Chris was the first to get the phone call. It was nearing midnight, and Claire had been expected home hours ago. He snatched up the phone as soon as it rang, answering it.

"Claire! Where are you!" He growled into the phone receiver. If she'd decided to spend the night at her boyfriend's house, he'd be so pissed.

There was a soft spoken voice on the other side of the phone. Female, and unfamiliar. Not his sister. "Uh... Chris Redfield?"

"...y-yeah." He frowned, swallowing hard. Oh, god. "What happened?"

"I'm Rebecca Chambers. I know your sister, and I work in the hospital."

"H-hospital." Chris whispered. The color drained from his face. His knees buckled and he stumbled back into the chair, breathing slowly.

Jill stared, frozen where she was. She just couldn't believe it. Something had happened to land Claire in the hospital. She'd never seen her boyfriend react this way before to _anything._ She frowned to herself, watching.

"She's fine." Rebecca said quickly. "Well, mostly. She's unconscious right now, but her breathing and heart rate are both stable. Her injuries are only minor."

Chris swallowed hard, trying to calm himself. "...what room?"

"267. It's on the second floor. You'll be able to find it. I'll be waiting here for you." She shut off the phone, turning to Claire.

Chris stood instantly, throwing the phone into the chair as he grabbed a jacket. He was already half way out the door. They'd have to take Claire's motorcycle, as Claire had been in his car.

"Come on. Get a jacket, Jill. It's cold outside."

Jill hesitated before nodding and following him out the door.

Chris and Jill were the first in the hospital, up to the second floor, looking for Claire's number. Rebecca had called Steve next, naturally. She knew that Claire would want him to be there. She was sort-of glad she had to work tonight instead of spending time with Billy. She got to help Claire and her family.

Currently, Claire was hooked up to several machines. Not that the hospital thought she was immediate danger, but just in case. There was a heart rate and breathing measuring device hooked to her chest and her finger. She'd been patched up with bandages, band-aids, gauze, medical tape, and on her forehead, stitches. Only eight there. Her arm had been ripped to shit, and had to be stitched up as well. She needed something like thirty stitches there, but she didn't know that quite yet.

Around her neck set a big, white splinting device. She'd strained the muscles fairly hard and had a form of whiplash. She looked worse than the injuries actually were.

Rebecca sat beside her. She'd gotten special permission to sit and watch her to wait for her to wake up. She wore her pink and white candy striper outfit. (Billy loved it, but she wouldn't admit that to anyone.)

Chris burst into the room, moving to the single bed. "Claire..."

Jill followed, silently, hovering by the door.

Rebecca stood, moving over to say hello to Jill, to leave Chris alone for a moment.

"Hello."

Jill gave a weak smile. "Hey..."

"I'm Rebecca. I've been watching over Claire since she got here."

"Thank you." Jill smiled weakly. "We were getting worried."

"I called Steve. He was really upset, he's on his way over."

"Oh, you know Steve?"

She nodded. "I'm one of his best friends..."

Chris stood up, running a hand through his hair. "She looks r-really bad." He murmured, turning to face the girls who were making small talk.

"She's not. She just needed a few stitches. The breathing and heart-rate monitor is only because she has a concussion. The neck brace is because she strained the muscles." She explained.

"Her arm is _covered _in stitches." Chris leaned against the wall, feeling faint. But he couldn't show it.

"She ripped it up, but that's it. It's nothing fatal." She smiled weakly. "She'll be fine. The doctors said she'd be able to go home by tomorrow morning." She nodded.

Chris frowned, turning back to his sister. "I'm glad she's okay."

Jill smiled softly, moving over and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Relax, Chris. She's fine."

"I know...she's just...she's my little sister. I should've never let her go to the mountains, Jill."

"Chris, please. It's not your fault." Jill frowned. "I'm just glad she was in your car and not on her bike. Can you imagine..." she trained off, not wanting to upset him.

Steve was in the door next, panting, out of breath. He'd ran up the stairs and his legs felt like Jell-O. He was shaking, pushing past Chris and Jill to get to the Claire.

"Oh, god." He whimpered. "Rebecca, what happened to her?"

Rebecca frowned, moving to the now group of three people. "She got in a car wreck. She's fine, Steve. I already went over this with her brother."

Chris nodded, giving a weak smile. "Said she was gonna be fine."

Rebecca had to leave after about an hour, knowing that both Billy and her mother would be wondering why she was working so late. Chris, Jill and Steve took turns watching over Claire.

It was almost three in the morning before Claire finally awoke from her sleep. Steve was watching for now, as both Chris and Jill had gone to get something to eat and some coffee.

There was a soft groan from the brunette as she went to sat up. She gave a cry, falling back onto the bed. Everything _hurt._ All over. The last thing she remembered was floating on a cloud. Now she realized she was in a hospital bed.

"What happened?"

Steve nearly jumped a foot, looking up to her. "Claire! Oh, you're up!"

She smiled weakly, but even that hurt. "What happened?"

"You were in a car wreck."

She closed her eyes, trying to think. She could remember lights coming at her, and then the car was thrown on it's side.

"...think I totaled the car." she whispered, eyes still closed. "Chris is going to kill me." She spoke softly, hardly able to manage to talk.

"Claire..." he took one of her hands, trying not to be upset at the feeling of the heart monitor on the tip of her finger. He was upset at seeing her in the hospital bed, but he refused to let Claire know. He was sure she was scared. "He's not bad. They just went to hit up a diner because we've been here for a while."

"How long...?" Claire blinked slowly, looking up to him. She felt so tired, dizzy and disoriented. But knowing Steve had been by her side, she felt so much better.

"Four hours. It's three in the morning." there was a weak laugh.

"M'Sorry." She whispered, frowning just the slightest amount.

"Don't worry about it, babe." He whispered softly. "Just relax, okay? You get to go home in a few hours."

She smiled sleepily. "Thanks...."

"You wanna go back to sleep?" He asked softly.

Claire smiled weakly. "Can I?"

"Of course. I'll be right here for you." Steve kissed her forehead ever so gently, terrified of hurting her.

"Thanks, Steve." She murmured, leaning against the pillows and keeping a loose hold on Steve's hand. She didn't want to let go.

_Oh fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. She was running, stumbling over her own feet, trying to get away from the monster that was chasing her. It was a car, a monster truck that had grown _fucking teeth. _Sharp, dripping with blood and gleaming with the light from it's own headlights. _Those headlights, the last thing she saw before the crash. She was twisting and turning. _Searching for somewhere to go, anywhere to hide from the thing that wanted to kill her._

_She rounded the corner and heard the squealing tires of the monster truck behind her. She'd never been so scared in her life. She pressed herself up against a wall, praying it would pass her by, but to no avail. It stopped, it's lights blaring directly on her. She braced herself for impoact, but she was falling_

_She tumbled through the sky, her eyes wide as she peered around. Bam, she landed in a plot of dirt. She looked up, Square. She frowned. Oh, shit. A grave. She climbed out slowly, looking around. There was a gravestone. She leaned toward, reading it. Claire Redfield._ She gave a whimper. _What? She was dead? How could this..._

She was woken up by a pair of hands and she pushed them away, whimpering. "Don't touch me, don't touch..." She blinked hard, letting everything come back into focus again. It was a very upset looking Steve.

"...a nightmare." She slumped back, breathing hard. She replied before Steve even had the chance to ask what was wrong. "I had a nightmare..."


	20. First Love

Disclaimer: Resident Evil does not belong to me.

Author's notes: Guys, I realized I left out some amazing STARS members. Forest and Richard mainly. I really wanna stick them in my fic, but I can't think of any way to. Any suggestions from you guys? I don't know why I have such an affinity for the less important STARS members. Any fangirls out there who agree that they're fcking awesome? Speaking of Brad, if I've said this or not, I just LOVE Brad and Sherry together and I can't figure out why! They're just so cute together! Rebecca and Billy. Have you ever heard the song 'Don't Stand So Close To Me' by the Police? Check it out, it's really Rebecca/Billy. My friend brought it to my attention when I told them about their relationship. So back to the story. This chapter is a little bit longer than most chapters, nearly four pages long. So enjoy, I'll have the next chapter up soon! Please read and review. Thanks!

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Brad shifted uncomfortably under the glare of Mr. Birkin. Unlike Sherry's mother, Annette, Brad wasn't allowed to call Mr. Birkin by his first name. He didn't even _know _his first name. What he did know, however, is that he was extremely protective and he didn't like the idea of Sherry having her first boyfriend. Fortunately, Annette was much warmer and more inviting than her husband. (Brad liked her better.)

He felt Sherry's small, soft hand take his and he couldn't help but smile. She was so sweet. He'd been invited to dinner by both Annette and Sherry after their encounter at the store. He was glad, considering he couldn't cook worth a damn. They were eating some kind of chicken, and Brad thought it was delicious.

Dinner passed with some conversation between Sherry, her mother and Brad, while Mr. Birkin just stared daggers at the boy and munched away on the food. When it was done, Mr. Birkin couldn't hardly wait long enough to get his daughter's new boyfriend out of the house. Luckily for him, Annette and Sherry protested.

Annette set Sherry and Brad on the couch and took her husband into the back of the house, leaving them alone. It made the boy nervous. He didn't know how to act around a girl, much less around a girl _alone._

Sherry held his hand, smaller fingers laced within his larger ones. She liked the way it felt when they held hands. She was glad he wasn't like most other boys, who wanted to rush into things. They hadn't even really had their first kiss.

"Dinner was nice. Thank you for inviting me." Brad smiled softly.

"I'm glad you came. I'm sorry about my Daddy." she sighed. "He's over protective." She explained. "He doesn't want me to grow up."

"It's fine... I heard from Steve that his girlfriend's brother is the same way." He nodded.

Sherry smiled softly, falling silent and stroking Brad's hand with her thumb. She just wanted to sit here and hold his hand for a while. They didn't even need to talk. There was a silence, but it was by no means uncomfortable.

Brad finally spoke. "Sherry?"

"Mm, yes?" She looked over to him, kicking her feet lightly.

"May I kiss you?"

Sherry became flustered. She bit her lip, looking up to him. She was silent for a moment before giving a soft. "Okay."

Brad smiled softly, feeling a little excited as he slowly leaned in to kiss her, to savor the moment of his first kiss. He closed his eyes, knowing that's how they always did it in movies. He felt his lips hit her and he blushed deeply instantly. He held the kiss for just a moment before breaking away, his heart beating hard in his chest. He was shaking and he couldn't quite figure out why.

"...wow."

Sherry smiled softly. Her first kiss. From her first boyfriend. She was so happy. "Wow." She repeated, giving a nod. "Definitely wow."

"Your lips are soft." He murmured, leaning in to kiss her again. She let him, liking the feeling of their lips together just as much as he did.

She rested a hand on his thigh, leaning closer to him. She wanted to be closer to him. She smiled softly against his lips. He was wearing cologne. And he didn't use half the bottle like other boys their age. He pulled away after a moment, breathing hard. There wasn't anything sexual about the kiss, but he was still having trouble drawing in breath.

"Oh! Am I interrupting anything?" Came Annette's voice from the hall. Brad blushed, jerking his hand away from Sherry's instinctively.

Sherry blushed softly as well. "Mom!"

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"Billy?"

"Hm?" The teacher looked up from grading his written tests. (The school required him to give them a couple times every semester. He wasn't a fan.)

"...be careful when you drive, okay?"

There was a weak laugh from the older man. "What brought this on?"

"Well, Claire Redfield was brought into the hospital last night. She was in a car wreck. Drunk driver, you know? She's really lucky. She only had some minor injuries. Nothing that'll cause permanent damage more than scars..." She frowned, resting her elbow on the table and leaning into her hand. She watched him.

"Oh?"

"I'm just really worried that it'd happen to you. What if you don't get lucky if something like that happens, Billy?"

"Don't worry. I'll be fine, Becca."

She smiled at the nickname. He only used it sometimes, but it sent a thrill through her body every time she heard it come from his mouth. "Promise?"

"Promise." He flashed a smile. She smiled, returning to her schoolwork.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"She was in a car wreck!?" Nearly the entire group asked in unison, staring at Chris. He was explaining why his sister wasn't at school today.

"She'll be back next week." He nodded. "Jill and I are going to take turns staying at home to make sure she's okay. She got pretty banged up, but she's fine."

Alexia frowned. "Who hit her?"

"...drunk." Chris crossed his arms. "He's perfectly fine, of course." He growled. "The alcohol made his body relaxed, so he hardly had a fucking _scratch_ on him."

Alfred frowned softly, slipping his fingers between his sister's. They'd become more affectionate in public since Alexia found out that people weren't happy about their relationship. He'd never seen Chris so upset before. Not even after Leon had cheated on Claire. He prayed silently he never had to be without his twin. He knew it'd drive him insane not to have Alexia to talk to.

Steve sat silently with Brad and Joseph. (Rebecca had gone off with Billy for lunch, as usual, and Brad was the only one to know that.) He hadn't slept well since the night before Claire ended up in the hospital. Between the occasional nightmare and just the terrifying thoughts that she might end up dead, he just couldn't manage to calm down.

"Hey, man?" Joseph put a hand on Steve's shoulder. "You doin' okay? You haven't said a single word all day."

Steve blinked, looking up. "Huh? Yeah."

"...you been sleepin'?"

"Not since Claire got in her wreck." He rubbed his eyes.

"You look like it." He frowned, crossing his arms. Steve's eyes were bloodshot and red, his skin was pale and under his eyes he had deep, dark circles. He looked almost thirty years older. He'd dropped a good five pounds, as he hadn't had an appetite. He just did _not _look good.

"Man, listen, if you wanna go home I'll tell the teachers you had a family emergency or somethin'." Joseph suggested.

Steve shook his head. "I'll wait... I'll go check on Claire after school." He smiled weakly, putting his head down on the lunch table. Maybe he could just rest his eyes for a few moments...

The redhead ended up ducking out of class before his last period. He could skip one day to go home and check on Claire, right? He was going insane wondering about her.

He walked all the way there, hands shoved in his pockets and fiddling with change, erasers, whatever happened to be in his pocket. He reached the Redfield's residence after about twenty minutes of walking. He knocked and shifted his weight between feet as he waited for Jill to answer. He knew that she was home.

Jill poked her head out, raising an eyebrow. She knew that school didn't get out for another hour, so she wondered why anyone would be here.

"Oh! Steve. What're you doing here so early?"

"I skipped out early to see how Claire was. Is she awake?"

"Kind-of. The pain killers the doctor put her on have her a little loopy, are you sure you want to see her?"

He nodded. He had to see her and check on her. A little out of it from the pain medications wouldn't upset him near as much as seeing her hooked up to life support in a hospital bed. He shuddered involuntarily as Jill led him back to her room.

Steve smiled when he saw her. She was awake, watching television. He moved over to her side.

"Claire?"

She blinked slowly, turning to look. Her neck was sore, she couldn't move it very well. "Steve...what're you doing here? It's a school day."

"I missed you too much." He took her hand, gently. This was the arm that was stitched up, so he had to be careful. The last thing that he wanted was to hurt her. "How've you been?"  
"Y'saw me a while ago..."

"Like two days ago! I missed you too much, I couldn't stay away any longer." He smiled softly, watching her. She just blinked slowly.

"Oh."

"Oh? You don't sound very excited..."

She smiled weakly, leaning back against her pillows. She had five or six behind her head to prop her up. "Tired." She admitted. She wasn't sleeping very well either, and on top of that, the medications she was on made her even more lethargic. She yawned.

"You're adorable when you're tired..." He murmured. She smiled, turning her blue eyes onto him. He leaned down, kissing her softly. "Sleep."

"Stay with me?"

"Yeah...of course, Claire. I'll be right here." He pulled a chair up beside her bedside, sitting to watch her sleep.


	21. Falling

Disclaimer: ...not mine.

Author's notes: Uh. Lets say my hair is much thinner as I've been pulling it out over this chapter. I've been watching videos from a lot of RE games, mostly RECV and RE4. I noticed a few things, such as Ada treats Leon like shit, but he's totally in love with her. Besides that, Ada can do like back flips off of five story buildings (In heels and a dress) and land perfectly on her feet. Has the possibility that she's been injected with any of the viruses been ruled out? I also noticed how smokin' hot she was. Back to the story instead of obsessing over Ada. I've been sitting here for three days and this chapter has been ALMOST done. I just haven't been able to make myself finish it. So anyways, with any luck, Wesker will be introduced soon. Enjoy! (PS. Can't wait for the Darkside Chronicles trailer out tomorrow!)

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Claire woke up in a cold sweat, hardly able to breathe. She'd been waking up like this almost every time for the last few days. She couldn't have a normal dream, they were all horrifying nightmares. They weren't limited to cars, sometimes they were undead creatures, monsters, and at one point, Leon _himself._ That was the most frightening dream she'd ever had.

"Claire?" Steve frowned softly, putting a hand on her arm as she sat there, breathing hard. She looked to him slowly, blinking hard. She could hardly see, she was so upset. She was shaking. "What happened?" he asked quietly, pressing a hand to her forehead. He drew away, surprised. Her skin was hot to the touch. "Claire, you have a fever."

She said nothing for a moment before finally muttering a, "Can I have some water?"

Steve nodded, nearly jumping out of his chair. "Just...hold still. I'll be right back." he stumbled out of her bedroom, swallowing hard. He brought back a cup of ice water as well as Chris.

Chris looked concerned, leaning down over his sister's bed. He pressed his hand against her forehead, shaking her head. He looked to Steve.

"...you're right, she is sick."

"You say that like I'd lie." He murmured softly, holding the glass up to Claire's lips. She smiled softly, since she couldn't hardly hold anything by herself thanks to the stitches. She took in a slow drink of the cold water, feeling it hit her throat. It cooled her down and she liked it. She took another drink, listening to the boys talk.

"I'm...going to get something to make her fever go down." Chris disappeared out of her room.

Steve frowned softly, brushing her hair from her face. It was wet from sweat. He said nothing, just watching her.

"...had a nightmare." She said softly, looking up to him. "I haven't been able to sleep, Steve..."

"That's probably from the fever, Claire." He stroked her cheek softly. "That's what happens when you're sick."

She shook her head but gave a whimper as she felt her muscles start to practically burn. She wasn't supposed to be moving her neck. "No, I've been having them since the wreck..."

He frowned, stroking her hair softly. He wanted to make her comfortable. He knew that having a fever on top of all of the injuries she'd sustained from the car wreck wasn't fun. She closed her eyes, letting him.

"You...got hurt." She murmured softly, eyes closed. "In my dream. A-and I couldn't do anything to stop it. You were...j-just_ there._ Bleeding through this giant h-hole in your chest... a-and I couldn't do anything." She started to cry at this.

Steve frowned softly, taking her hand carefully. "Claire...I'm fine. I'm right here. It was just a dream." He wondered how she could be so upset over something that didn't even happen. He reached up,drying her tears for her. "It was just a dream." he whispered, kissing her ever so softly on the lips.

She sniffled softly, turning her eyes onto him but keeping her head straight. She knew she should've been wearing her brace, but it was too uncomfortable and she didn't like it, so she didn't wear it. It was as simple as that.

Steve took a tissue from her night stand, wiping her forehead with it. The sweat needed to be kept away from the stitches on her forehead. He looked up once Chris returned with some aspirin. Claire took them without a complaint, leaning back against her pillows again.

Steve frowned softly, watching her. She was still having a little trouble breathing, but it was somewhat easier now.

"Steve?"

"Yes?"

"Stay with me tonight." It wasn't a question or a command, but more of a plea. She didn't want to spend the night alone, not when she was having nightmares like this. Just one night with Steve would help relax her nerves.

"What? Will your brother allow it?"

"I hope so." Claire whimpered softly. She needed someone beside her when she woke up from her nightmares.

Thanks to Chris, and the help of a car that he'd rented, Steve managed to get a few things from his house. He was just going to stay for one night to make sure Claire was okay. He was glad Chris had let him. But he said no sleeping in the same bed. Steve was kind-of thankful for that. He didn't want to have temptation to do anything they could regret.

Claire was sleeping again when Steve came back into her room. The sun was setting. He rolled out his sleeping bag on the floor at the foot of her bed before sitting on the edge of the bed to watch her sleep.

She tossed and turned lightly, up until Steve took her hand gently to relax her. Just as he hoped, she calmed down. He smiled to himself, stroking her hand gently. She opened her eyes slowly, peering up at him through messy bangs.

"Hey..." she murmured softly.

"Hey." He smiled softly, pressing a hand to her forehead. Her fever had gone down. "How're you feeling?"

"Hot." She sighed softly. Her clothes were sticking to her body, but she knew better than to ask Steve to take them off for her. But she was tempted, nonetheless.

He stroked her forehead, hoping to cool her down. "Your brother's letting me stay. I brought my sleeping bag."

"Thanks for staying..." She smiled weakly.

"Of course, Claire. Anything for you..."

"Sit with me?"

He blinked but nodded, moving onto the bed with her. He stayed above the covers, however, not wanting Chris to walk in and accuse them of anything. He'd just gotten her brother to like him, he didn't want to get on his bad side again.

Claire groped for Steve's hand with her good one, lacing their fingers together with a smile.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Leon and Ada were at dinner as the sun set. Ada wore a long, red dress. (Her signature color.) The neckline plummeted down to her chest, showing off the curves of her chest. The dress was silk and every time she moved, the dress slid to reveal just a little bit more of her skin. Leon could hardly take his eyes away from her. She just looked so delicious.

Leon ate slowly. He was still unable to use his arm. He still needed to deal out payback for letting the little brat hurt him this badly. He wasn't as dressed up as her. He wore a black shirt with a white tie and a black fedora, which his mother had suggested.

They were at steakhouse. Leon had always wanted to take Claire here, but she never wanted to go anywhere fancy. They had good food here. He'd actually been saving it for their year anniversary, but they didn't make it that long.

He gave a sigh, which prompted Ada to ask what was wrong.

"Huh?"

"What's wrong?" she repeated, taking a sip of her soda.

"Just thinking."

"About what?"

"...my arm. I'm really upset that little brat hurt me like this." He grumbled.

"You shouldn't have been trying to get your old girlfriend back, Leon!" Ada gave him a glare. It was the truth. But she couldn't figure out why she was suddenly getting so jealous. When she'd told Claire about Leon and herself, it had been out of spite rather than out of jealousy. But now, she just wanted to keep Leon all to herself. She didn't want the fancy gifts, and she just wanted to spend time with him. It confused her, honestly. She'd never felt this way about a boy before...


	22. Bruises

Disclaimer: This story belongs to me, but the characters belong to Capcom. Resident Evil doesn't belong to me.

Author's notes: I know, it took me super long to update. I apologize! Writer's block is a bitch. I'm still having trouble working Richard into the story, so suggestions are welcomed! Summer school started but to my dismay, we do CONSTANT work which is bullshit. So I don't have much down time. Okay, so let me do a real quick movie recommendation: Repo! The Genetic Opera. OMG, amazing. It's a gothic/dark Opera. Check it out. I know what I wanna do, so it's just a matter of getting the characters to cooperate. Anyways, PLEASE review. Thanks for being so patient. Who do you think the twin girls are in the reptile house? Hmm. Send me your guesses! PLEASE read and review.

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The sun was shining and it was hot outside. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the zoo was busy, as it normally was on beautiful days like this. Rebecca had suggested to Billy that they go to the zoo for the afternoon. Billy accepted without any hesitation.

She packed a picnic lunch and met him outside of her house, and then they were on their way to the zoo.

"Billy?"

"Yes?" He glanced over to her for a moment, but kept his eyes on the road otherwise.

"What do we do if someone sees us?" she asked. It wasn't normal for a teacher to be spending hours out of school with a student. She knew that if anyone saw them, they would be in deep trouble. She touched the dog tags around her neck. She almost never took them off.

"Well..." he frowned softly, trying to come up with an excuse. "...I don't know, Becca. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

She swallowed hard, giving a nod. She was so afraid of losing him.

They found a parking place at the zoo and gathered everything out of the trunk. Billy paid for both of them to get in, and they headed towards the large, grassy area for lunch before heading to the animals.

Rebecca spread out a blanket on the grass, taking a seat with her legs folded over. She was wearing a short skirt and a tank top, and she didn't want to let Billy (and the rest of the people in the area) have a peek up her skirt.

They ate pringles and sub sandwiches, drank sweet tea, and ate some fresh fruit for desert. They enjoyed their lunch, sitting close together and talking. They ignored the stares and Rebecca silently hoped that she could pass him off as her uncle, or her cousin or something. It wasn't that she minded being stared at, and whispered about, but she was terrified of someone separating them. She actually had nightmares about not being able to be with Billy.

"Rebecca?"

"Hm?" She looked up to him, sipping on her iced tea.

"Where do you want to go first?"

"Well, I mean, the flamingos are closest. Then I guess we could make our way through the 'african' animals, and then to the big cats." She suggested.

Billy nodded, munching on a strawberry. "Sounds good to me."

They packed up the picnic materials and Billy ran them out to the car as Rebecca watched the flamingos. There was a few baby ones, only a light pink tinge to their feathers. She smiled softly to herself, wondering if her and Billy would ever have children. She felt her face get hot. She always wanted kids, and Billy would make such an amazing father...

He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, leaning his chin on her shoulder. "I'm back."

She smiled, looking up to him. "I'm glad."

They walked throughout the zoo. At one point, Billy even gave her a piggyback ride because her legs were tired. She mounted his back, wrapping her small legs around his waist. She smiled, wrapping her small arms around him now, leaning her head on his shoulder. It was so comfortable.

Billy smiled, standing. "How's this for your feet?"

She squealed. "It's amazing."

Billy piggy-backed her around the zoo. She was of a relatively small stature. She was light and petite and Billy loved it. It gave him some ideas for later in the bedroom....

They looked at all of the big cats, Rebecca squealing at every single one. The snow leopards had a kitten that the mother was bathing, the mountain lions were running around their enclosure and the lion even roared.

Then he saw him. As they entered the reptile house, he was watching a komodo dragon eat some bloody piece of meat. On either hand were two small girls. One was in a white sun dress, and the other was in a red sun dress. They had long brown hair to their waists, straight as a board shining in the dim light of the cooled snake house.

First, he backed up. Principal Albert Wesker. Oh damn, they couldn't be seen together.

Rebecca frowned. "Billy? What's wrong?"

Billy swallowed hard, glancing up to her. "Put your head down." He whispered. "Hide your face."

Rebecca blinked. "What? Why?"

"Just do it."

She complied, leaning her head down into the nape of his neck. She breathed in his scent with a smile.

He wore dark sunglasses, so Billy couldn't tell where he was going. It was unnerving. Thankfully, he slipped past him and let Rebecca down, much to her dismay.

He pointed. "Go off in that direction."

"Why?"

"Principal Wesker is here. He can't see us together."

Rebecca bit her lip but did as she was told, scurrying off to look at some kind of newt. She feigned interest in what the plaque said about the 'chinese fire bellied newt' as she heard Billy moving behind her.

He was at some other case, watching a snake try to escape the case by sliding it's long, thick body against the glass case. He shook his head, crossing his arms. He just wondered how long he could stay this way before Wesker came by.

Thankfully, it wasn't very long.

"Mr. Coen."

Billy blinked, turning to look. It was Wesker, he could tell that without even looking. He faked surprised.

"Oh! Principal Wesker. What are you doing here today?"

"I'm with my daughters. They wanted to come see the animals." His voice was always so monotone. It nearly put the kids on the morning announcement to sleep every day.

"Oh, that's great. They're beautiful. Twins?"

"That's right." He looked down at them with a sense of pride.

Rebecca listened, her eyes not even focused on the plaque anymore and just listening, praying that Wesker didn't see her. It would end _everything if_ he did. Brad already knew, what if Wesker found out? Fuck, Billy would go to _jail._ He'd be considered a pedophile, a child molester, a sex offender. Rebecca _knew_ what would happen to him in the State Penitentiary. She shuddered, not even wanting to think about it.

She held her breath when he walked by her with his twin daughters._ Please. Please. Please don't see me..._

"Oh. Miss Chambers."

_Fuck._ She froze but turned. "Huh? Oh, Principal Wesker. How nice of you to say hello."

He did nothing but give a nod and disappear.

She breathed a sigh of relief, nearly colapsing onto the glass tank beside her as he left.

"That was too Close, Billy." She murmured as he walked over. He nodded in agreement.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Brad dialed Sherry's number. He'd locked himself in his room after his mother came home. They didn't get along. At all. He learned from a young age to avoid her at all costs. Right now, all he wanted to do was to get out of his house and go to Sherry's for a while.

"Birkin Residence, Sherry speaking."

"Sherry, It's Brad."

"Hi, Brad."

"Are you busy? Do...do you mind if I come over?"

She frowned softly, listening to the sound of her boyfriend's voice on the other end of the phone. He spoke quietly, and that wasn't exactly like him. No, he may not have been as loud as his friends, but he wasn't quiet either.

"What's wrong, Brad?"

"Nothing, but can I come over?" He repeated. He just wanted to get out of the house before his mother tried to 'talk' to him. He couldn't hold her off for very long.

Sherry frowned softly. "...yeah, I mean, I guess so. I'll be waiting for you to get here. Be careful?"

Brad was about to answer when there was a knock at the door and his nerves bristled. It was his mother, she was the only other home.

The color in Brad's face dropped. The door was thrown open, and there she stood. His mother. And _oh shit_ did she look mad.

"Bradley, what did I find in the living room?"

"...I dunno, what?" He let the phone drop to his side. He clutched it still. Half of him wanted to hang up to save her from hearing whatever was going to happen. He really didn't want to worry her.

"A mess, Bradley. You dumped your back pack on the floor. You kicked your shoes off. You left a mess in the kitchen! What do you think I am, your personal fucking maid? Well you know what? Newsflash. I'm _not. _I have my own life to live. You're old enough to take care of yourself."

"I'm sorry." He said softly. "I'll clean it right now." He went to move past her, but he was knocked back when she hit him upside the head. Sharp stinging pain that made his vision go blurry for a few seconds. Then it subsided and he was just left with a tingling spot on his head where he'd been hit. He was used to much worse, but his mother didn't leave marks anymore.

No, if she left marks, People would ask. They would take him away.

"Ow!"Brad whimpered, covering his head and letting the phone drop to the ground. Sherry frowned, listening to the thud that it made on the other end.

"Brad?" She asked.

His mother raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You were on the phone now, were you, Bradley? Who were you talking to?"

"M-my girlfriend." He stepped back out of her reach, not wanting to get hit again.

There was a laugh. Her voice was still harsh. Brad shuddered. "Your girlfriend." She repeated, narrowing her eyes. She snatched up the phone, sending a glare to Brad. Brad gulped, watching.

She clicked the phone off. "You're not allowed to have a girlfriend."

"Well I do." He glared right back. He knew it was dangerous, but... He felt something hard hit him in the chest and he looked. The phone, missing the battery. Sharp pain again, but he was just _so _upset that he could hardly feel it.

Brad stared at the door, which was now closed. He heard something bump up against the other side. It was the damn chair his mother enjoyed blocking him in with. He knew he was in trouble, but he didn't care.

He was going to sneak out and see Sherry, if she liked it or not...


	23. Beauty

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Author's notes: Summer school is hell. Okay, so the twin girls. I wanted to see if anyone got who they were, but since no one did, they're the Red and White queens. I'm dragging in every character I can before I _have _to resort to OC's. I got an overwhelming response about Brad's mother. I think five of the first reviews I got said "Wow, I can't believe it! I didn't see that coming!" Ada and Leon seem to be coming along very nicely. What would you guys like to read about? Also I apologize for posting every chapter at like two in the effing morning. Thank you for sticking around during the like week and a half hiatus I took. Thank you so much guys! Please review, I'll be grateful. Enjoy the chapter.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Ever so slowly, cautious of her injuries, Claire turned on her side. She winced lightly before finding a comfortable spot. She snaked her arms around Steve, being especially careful to avoid hurting her arm with the twenty-odd-stitches. It was still soe, despite the unbelievable amount of painkillers coursing through her veins.

Steve slept soundly, hardly batting at eye that him and his girlfriend were sharing a bed. She buried her face in his shoulder, breathing in his scent. Sweat, deodorant and his shampoo. Everything about him comforted her. The way he breathed, his scent, the feel of his rough skin on her softer skin. The simple fact that he just stayed over night to make sure she was comforted. She loved it. She loved him... she smiled to herself. She _loved _him.

Her thoughts began to become hazy and scattered as she started to fall into unconsciousness. _ What'd I have to do tomorrow... oh, doctor's appointment. _Steve promised to take her to allow Chris and Jill both to go to school. _Make-up work... damn, I'll have so much..._ she trailed off here, slipping into sleep.

Her dreams weren't unpleasant. They were actually very comforting. Mostly about her and Steve, and she loved every second of it. Her dreams were abruptly stopped, making her open her eyes with a jolt as she returned to consciousness. She blinked slowly, hearing the doorbell ring. She looked to Steve. Jealousy. He was still sleeping without any problem.

She nudged him, placing her elbow in his ribs. He groaned, rolling onto his side. "I'm up..." He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. "What's going on?"

"The doorbell. Someone keeps ringing it. Will you go see who it is?"

Steve gave a heavy sigh but moved off the bed. The clock said 8:30. About first period, had either one of the pair been in school. He grumbled, scratching the back of his head as he moved into the living room and through the den to the front door.

He opened it, and blinked hard at the two blondes standing there. Alexia and Alfred Ashford. He hadn't been expecting the twins to show up. At all. In fact, he was expecting bigfoot more than the Ashfords...

On top of showing up to the Redfield's unannounced, during school hours, the pair had a lovely vase of flowers.

"Is Claire awake?"

"Uh, yeah." He rubbed his eyes.

"Can we see her?"

"Yeah, I guess so." He moved out of the way. His bare toes curled into the carpet absentmindedly before he followed the siblings.

Claire looked up when they entered the room, blinking slowly.

"Claire!" Alexia smiled, setting the flowers on her beside table amidst empty water glasses. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm...sore, are these for me?"  
"Of course they are." Alexia smiled. Claire looked them over. It was a huge arrangement, purple, yellow, pink, white, red. Just about every color of flowers was tucked into this vase. She smiled.

"Thanks..."

"I hope you get better soon, Claire."

Alfred nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, guys."

"But Alfie and I need to get going to class. I'll see you soon."

Chris called home an hour before the doctor's appointment to remind Claire and Steve to go. He hadn't been thrilled about leaving Claire alone with Steve, but at the same time, he did almost trust him enough to stay and not do anything with her.

They were already getting dressed and ready by the time Chris called home. Claire had to be moved into a wheelchair they'd bought from some Medical Supply Store. Steve brushed her hair, put her shoes on, everything he could possibly do for her. He paid careful attention to everything, moving his fingers slowly and gently so as to not hurt his girlfriend.

Claire smiled all the while, loving the way that he was helping her. She'd never felt so special in her life...

They called a cab, since Steve didn't have a driver's license and Claire couldn't very well drive her Motorcycle to the appointment.

"Thanks, Steve."

"For what?"

"Taking care of me. Spending the night. Everything!"

"Anything for you, you know that." Steve took her good hand gently.

"You're amazing, you know _tha_t_?" _Claire smiled.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Ada walked Leon up to the door, considering she was the one driving. She kissed him on the cheek, holding his hand briefly. It was nice not to have to worry about having sex after their date. Sometimes she felt like it was the only thing that they seemed to do together.

"So, Ada. My parents are gone." Leon gave a grin. "Wanna come in and have some fun?"

Ada crossed her arms. "No."

"No!? Ada, why?" Leon whined. She never said no to sex.

"Leon, I don't _want _to." She half-glared. "Isn't that enough of an answer?"

He sighed heavily. "What about if you come in for a massage or a soda or _something._" He whined.

Ada sighed. "Fine, fine. But only for a little while. Then I have to go home. I have homework."

Leon grinned, leading her into the house.

She sat on the couch as he left to get some cold sodas. She kicked off her heels, rubbing her feet with a soft groan. Even though she wore heels most of the time, her feet still ached.

Leon brought her a soda and she held it to the back of her neck, leaning her head back. "Thanks..."

He nodded, opening his as he plopped down beside her. Carefully, he removed his sling and kept his injured arm curled into his body. It was healing but it still wasn't in the best shape. He inched over to Ada, moving just about as close as possible. He just wanted to be with her, even if it wasn't sexual.

He found himself taking her hand, lacing their fingers together. He smiled, looking up to her. Her head was still back, her bangs falling over her face. Her back was arched ever so slightly and he noted how beautifully feminine she looked. She finally straightened up, pulling the cold can of soda from the back of her neck with a contented sigh.

"Much better..."

Leon smiled. "You're...beautiful, Ada."

She smiled. Leon had never called her 'beautiful.' He always said sexy. Never beautiful. "Thank you..." She whispered softly. She actually was falling for him... and she liked it.


	24. Escape

Disclaimer: Uh, not mine.

Author's notes: Severe writer's block. Coupled with that, Summer school all day and me just getting a new game, I'm so sorry for not updating. You guys might end up getting a rush of lemons or short stories or songfics or something before you get more RCHS. Fair warning. Suggestions are still welcomed! So please keep reading even if I update slowly for right now. I apologize again, I just can't seem to shake this writer's block. So again, suggestions for pairings, lemons, anything. Don't forget to review! Thanks for reading!

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Rebecca was perched upon a handrail, looking down into the tiger's habitat. It was a large area and there was a family of tigers. Three babies and the mother. The father tiger belonged to a different zoo.

She was eating a chocolate ice cream cone that Billy had bought for her, licking the melting ice cream off her fingers as she went.

Billy stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist He watched her eat, smirking softly to himself. Her tongue would dart out, run over the top rim of the cone and then dart back into her mouth.

"Rebecca?"

She blinked, looking back to him with a questioning gaze.

"You've got a little ice cream on your mouth."  
"Where?" She touched her lips.

"Here," He kissed her softly, closing his eyes. She shivered softly, loving when Billy did unexpected things like this. It sent a thrill through her body.

"Did you get it?" She whispered.

Billy smirked, kissing her again. "I don't think so."

She giggled, leaning into him.

He broke away finally, smiling to himself. "You're beautiful."

She became flustered, rubbing lightly at her cheeks. "Thanks..." She smiled, turning back to the tigers and her ice cream cone.

Wesker and his daughters approached the tiger habitat. The principal cocked an eyebrow at seeing the pair together. He let the twin girls go a few exhibits down, as he approached Billy and Rebecca.

"Hello again."

Rebecca froze, eyes wide as she slowly turned. That voice. She knew it, and she knew it belonged to Principal Wesker.

Billy managed to keep his cool, turning to face him as well, taking his hands off of Rebecca.

"Good afternoon, Albert."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Coen... what are you doing here with Rebecca?"

"Watching the tigers. I met her a while ago here and we got to talking about sports medicine."

Wesker cocked an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "Really now."

Rebecca nodded. "That's right! He was telling me how to treat a sprain." She stuffed the dog tags into her top, just in case. She figured that he wouldn't realize what they were, but she wasn't taking a risk. They had already almost been caught twice. She wondered how much longer the luck would last.

"You're a nursing student and you didn't know how to treat a sprain?"

"I was telling her how to treat bullet wounds and other injuries that can happen while you're serving."

Wesker's eyebrow remained cocked. It was obvious that he didn't believe them. "...right, then."

Rebecca turned back to the tigers, praying that he would leave.

"...I guess I will see the both of you at school."

Rebecca breathed a sigh of relief when Wesker walked away, relaxing so much it almost caused her to fall off of the hand rail and onto the concrete.

She bit her lip, looking up to Billy. "We should leave." She whispered.

The teacher nodded in agreement, helping her down.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Brad knocked on Sherry's door, shaking. He fled his house, climbing through his window after kicking the screen in. He ran as far as he could in the direction that he knew Sherry's house was, wanting to get out of the way of his mother. He had a image in his mind's eye for a split second of her running after him with a _chainsaw._ He shuddered, staring at the brown wood before it swung open.

Sherry stood there, blinking slowly before realizing who it was. "Brad!"

He kissed her as a greeting, wrapping his arms around her. He was still feeling the affects of the adrenaline. He pulled her close. "I came to see you."

"I can see that." She gave a forced laugh, pushing him away. Her father was home, and he _still_ hadn't grown accustomed to the fact that she had a boyfriend. "What happened? With your mom?"  
Brad frowned softly, swallowing hard. "O-oh, uh. She was in a bad mood." He lied. She was always like that, but he couldn't just tell Sherry. He knew how she worried.

"So she yelled at you and took the phone away?" She pouted slightly, looking up to him.

"...she hit me." He admitted, pointing to the slight lump on his head. It was still sore. He wondered if it was visible.

"She hit you!"

"Upside my head, it's not bad. She didn't leave any bruises this time."

"This time!?"

_Shit. _His tongue slipped. He hadn't meant to say 'this time.' "...y-yeah."

"Brad! She normally hits you!?" She whimpered softly, her fingers twisted together as she stared up at him. Sure, she'd heard stories of kids being abused by their parents, but she'd never thought it would happen to anyone she knew. Especially Brad.

Brad was the sweetest guy she'd ever met, and she couldn't believe anyone would _ever_ want to hurt him...

"...yeah. I try to stay out of the house when she's around, that's why I called you." He murmured quietly, eyes locked onto the ground as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"Oh, god..." Sherry whimpered. "I couldn't stopped that?"

"It's okay, you didn't know." He murmured softly, finally looking up to her. He didn't want her to feel bad or worry, and that was the exact reason he'd kept it a secret. "It's only a little bump, see?" He gave a forced grin, but Sherry just stared at him.

"Do you need somewhere to stay?"

"...yeah, actually." He murmured softly. "If I could stay here for tonight, then that'd be great. Let her cool off, I'll sneak back in when she's at work tomorrow."

Sherry bit her lip, taking his hand gently. "Come on in."

Brad stayed in the living room, under close watch of the unhappy Mr. Birkin. He was downright angry about the fact that Brad was staying the night, but Annette had coerced him into allowing it. Sherry waited for her parents to go to bed to sneak out into the living room. (Not that she was planning anything, she just wanted to sit and talk to him.)

She sat on the arm of the rocking chair, curled up beside him under blankets that she'd supplied. She'd never had a boy spend the night, so she was excited. She stroked the top of his head, keeping her fingers away from the lump that had formed from where his mother had hit him.

Brad closed his eyes, feeling like a dog or something as she stroked his hair. He liked the feeling of it. It was soothing. It made him want to fall asleep.

They talked for a while, mostly about Brad's mother. Sherry wasn't very happy that she hadn't known about it, but she forgave him because he had the right motives for not telling her. (She smiled to herself. He was such a wonderful boyfriend.)

Sherry found herself nodding off between words and she forced herself to get up. "I'm giong to bed." She murmured, rubbing her eyes.

Brad smiled. She looked so cute when she was tired. "Okay, Sherry." He kissed her cheek. "Sweet dreams, I'll talk to you in the morning."


	25. Just a Bit Longer

Author's notes: Apologies, again, for not getting another chapter up as soon as you guys would like. Severe writer's block coupled with headaches because of the stupid rainy season here in town. Sucks _ass._ I posted a BillyxRebecca lemon, 'Happy Birthday, Princess' for you guys, I hope you enjoy it. I'm thinkin' about writing an AlfredxAlexia fic, but I'm not sure. Thoughts? If you haven't already, be sure to vote in my poll. Guys, I apologize for the super short chapter this time around. But here is your update! Thanks for sticking with me! Please review!

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Brad was up around six AM. He knew he had to get ready to go back home before his mother awoke. He prayed that his mom hadn't realized that he left. He knew he would be in deep shit if she went looking for him and he wasn't there. He got dressed and went to say goodbye to Sherry.

He pushed her bedroom door open, surprised at how clean it was. He'd never been into a girl's room before, but it was just about the cleanest room that he'd ever seen. Tangled in the pale blue sheets, she slept soundly, her hands slipped beneath the pillows. He approached the bed, sitting on the edge. He bent down, kissing her cheek. A smile formed on her lips, and she shifted ever so slightly in her sleep.

Brad stood, moving out of the door, looking over his shoulder at her. She looked like an angel, in her silky pajamas and her soft blonde hair. The only thing that he was missing from the picture was a halo. He was suddenly jolted back into reality as he ran into something hard.

He blinked, stumbling back. Temporarily blinded, he rubbed his eyes. There stood Mr. Birkin, sipping his morning coffee and staring at him.

"Good Morning, Mr. Birkin." He swallowed hard, taking another step away and staring at him. He wasn't exactly a big man. He stood only a bit taller than Brad, and he wasn't muscular at all. In fact, he was basically the opposite of 'big.' Yet, for some reason, Brad was terrified of him. Maybe it was the fact that Mr. Birkin could bar him from seeing his girlfriend, but Brad didn't want to piss him off.

"Good morning." Mr. Birkin replied. He stared at him, unblinking and just sipping on his coffee. "What are you doing in my daughter's room?"

"L-leaving." His voice shook lightly.

"Are you now." Sip. It wasn't a question.

"I just came in to say goodbye." Brad murmured, staring at him back. He learned from Steve not to seem intimidated, even if he was about to wet his pants. This happened to be one of those times. Chicken-heart, as Joseph liked to call him, was going to show Mr. Birkin that he could handle himself. "I'm going home before my mother gets up." He explained. It was the truth, no use in lying to him.

"Right." Sip.

Brad stared at him, completely shocked. He didn't even believe him. "It's t-true!" He swallowed hard, hearing his voice waver again. Dead give away that he was intimidated. Damn.

Mr. Birkin said nothing, simply stepping out of the way to allow him to walk past him. Brad hesitated before keeping his head held high. He moved past him, refusing to glance back.

By the time he got home, it was nearing seven in the morning. The lights were on, which meant that his mother was already up. He knew he was in trouble, but he didn't know _how_ much trouble until he reached the lawn. Things were scattered about, and that wasn't like his Mom. She always kept the front yard clean, some shit about keeping up good appearances. He shook his head to himself, muttering curses under his breath.

He stopped dead in his tracks, staring as he got close enough to the house._ His _stuff was scattered about the lawn. His computer, clothes, school books and most importantly, his _art supplies._ He was nearly in tears as gathered his sketch book and other supplies up.

The book's outer cover was trashed, bent and ripped and covered in dirt. Most of the drawings were safe, aside from one or two that were smeared or ripped. The pencils were mostly in tact, minus one or two that were broken or scratched. Everything else seemed to be in alright shape. But he was completely devastated about his art supplies. The only other problem was his computer, dinged and scratched. But he prayed it still worked. It was in one piece.

He gathered everything slowly, entirely stunned. What did this mean? Was he kicked out of the house? He didn't have anywhere to go. Joseph's parents weren't going to be very keen on the idea of Brad just showing up and needing somewhere to say. Steve was still taking care of Claire. She was getting better, but he was afraid to leave her side. That left Sherry.

Sherry, of all people, with her crazy protective father. Damn.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Ada spent the night with Leon, even though she'd promised herself she wouldn't. But the night before, the way he treated her...she couldn't bring herself to say stop when things got started. He'd kissed her neck, held her gently, told her how beautiful she was. The clothes came off, ending up in a crumbled heap on the floor beside the bed. Full of passion, yet so gentle.

Leon slept soundly beside her, the sheets resting at his waist and covering everything but his magnificently sculpted chest. Being on the football team every year since freshman year sure gave him a chance to work out a lot.

Ada had the most popular and sought after boy in the entire high school, sleeping beside her. She smiled to herself, curling against him. Not only that, that they had made love last night. No, not screwed or even had sex. They had made love, for the first time that they'd been together.

She ran the tips of her long fingers down his bare chest, watching him shiver and shake lightly in his sleep. He let out a soft murmur, his blue eyes fluttering open. He blinked slowly, glancing around until his eyes focuses on Ada.

"Mm...hey you..."

"Morning." She whispered, giving him a soft kiss on the mouth. He smiled softly. "Are you feeling as good as I am today, Leon?"

"Of course I am." He stretched his arms over his head before wrapping them around Ada's waist, pulling her closer.

"It's almost time to get ready for school." She whispered softly, stroking his hair softly as she kissed him again.

Leon gave a sigh. "Yeah, I know."

"Lets just stay a little bit longer, Leon. Just a little bit longer."


	26. Runaway

Disclaimer: Resident Evil doesn't belong to me. This story, however, DOES belong to me.

Author's notes: I know, I've had awful, severe writer's block. I apologize, guys. I've been working on the second chapter of Happy Birthday, Princess a lot. So sorry for that, but I just couldn't leave it at where I dropped off. Special thanks to Daywalker64 for keeping on my butt for getting the new chapter up. I'm not going to lie, even if I plan this chapter out, it only works to an extent. These characters have all adopted their own minds, and I can't do anything to stop them. So... guys, let me know what you think about the chapter. I tried to make it a little longer since you had to wait like two weeks for an update. Sorry for that, guys. Anyways, please read and review. Thanks for sticking around, guys!

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Brad, now frantic and on the verge of tears, showed up on Sherry's doorstep as Anette was about to drive her to school.

"Oh, Brad..." Anette frowned, stopping in the driveway as she saw him approaching. "What's wrong? Did you forget something here?"

"M...my mom threw me out. I need somewhere to stay." He murmured softly.

"She threw you out?"

"All my stuff is on the lawn." He whimpered, feeling the hot tears form behind his eyes. He didn't want to cry in front of his girlfriend and her mother. Now that would just be embarrassing.

Sherry wrapped her arms around Brad's waist, hugging him close. "Can he stay, Mom?"

Annette gave a soft frown, but nodded, nonetheless. "Yeah... we'll move you in today. Come on, we can go get your stuff now."

"But, what about school?" Sherry asked, pulling away from Brad slowly. "I have a test today."

"Don't worry about it. This is more important."

They loaded all of Brad's things into the back of Annette's car. Brad was shaking, hardly able to hold onto everything. He honestly hadn't expected anything like this to happen. He knew now that Annette and Sherry would both have questions, and he didn't want to have to answer them. Brad was silent the entire time, just fighting to keep the tears back.

Finally, on the way home, Annette forced him to break his silence.

"Brad, why'd your mother kick you out?"

Brad was silent for a moment, brain buzzing for an appropriate answer. "We got in a fight."

"She hit you." Sherry said softly from the front seat, remembering from the night before when he'd come to her house to seek refuge with a bump on his head. "Then what, she kicked you out?" She watched him via the side mirror. He was slumped into the chair, eyes averted from her and stuck to the grey carpeted floor.

"Y-yeah." He murmured softly after a long while of silence. He couldn't just ignore the question, that would pretty much be obvious. "But not as much anymore. No blood, no bruises..." He trailed off.

"Why didn't you want to stay at my house?"

_Honestly? Your Dad is scarier than my Mother. _He thought, staring at the seat in front of him. "Because, Sherry. It's a touchy subject."

"But your mom's been hitting you! How come you didn't say anything before?"

"Because! It's not something you just blurt out!"

"Oh, Brad..." Sherry whimpered softly.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Rebecca, I need to talk to you."

She jumped, turning to see where the familiar voice came from. It was Billy and he was standing around the corner of the school building. She'd come early just to see him, despite her lack of sleep the night before, and was surprised when she'd found him waiting in the parking lot.

"Billy?"

"We have a problem, sweetheart."

"What's the problem?" She frowned, shifting her backpack off her shoulder and setting it into the ground.

"Principal Wesker. He's starting an investigation into our relationship."

She whimpered softly, looking up to him. He was so much taller than her. "S-so what's that mean? We can't see each other anymore?"

"Rebecca, you know I don't want that to happen."

"T-then what _is _gonna happen, Billy?"

"...have you ever been away from home?"

She frowned softly, rubbing lightly at her eyes. She didn't know where he was going, so she simply looked up at him with a questioning gaze.

"Like, at camp or on vacation before?"  
She shook her head. Never been away for more than a few nights.

"Rebecca, I want you to run away with me."

She stared at him. "Run...away with you?"

"Rebecca, I could go to Jail for this. We could get split up. Nothing good can come of it."

"But...Billy...w-what about my mom? And School?"

"You said you loved me."

She was silent. It was the truth, she did love him, and she wouldn't forgive herself if he went to jail, and the last thing she wanted was for them to get split up. How long would they have to run for, anyways? A week or two? She could go a month, easy. It'd just be like a vacation with the most wonderful guy in the world, right? Then they would come home and everything would be back to normal.

"...yeah. Yeah, I'll do it, Billy."

The gym teacher gave a grin. "Thank you so much, Rebecca." He gently took her face in his hands, kissing her soft, pouty lips. "I love you."

"I love you too, Billy." She whispered back. The bell rang and she moved to head into class, but Billy grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks. She looked to him. "What?"

"Rebecca, we have to get going."

"Now? But I've got school..." She looked to the building.

"No, we have to get going now. I'll drive you to your house so you can pack. Is your Mom at work yet?"

She nodded.

"Good."

They both piled into Billy's car. She sat silently beside him, feeling a sinking feeling in her stomach. She just didn't feel comfortable doing this, but she didn't want him to go to jail, either.

"You okay, dollface?"

She looked up to him, feeling tears spark in her eyes. She said nothing, unable to bring herself to do so. They pulled up into Rebecca's driveway, and she silently climbed out of the car.

She pulled her key out of her pocket, realizing she was shaking. She felt the metal slip out of her fingers and heard it hit the pavement.

"Rebecca? Are you okay?" There was a frown of concern from the older male.

"Y-yeah."

"You're shaking."

"S-sorry." She bent, scooping them up and holding onto them tighter now. She didn't want Billy to know how afraid she was.

Billy said nothing as he followed her into her house. He looked around, raising an eyebrow. It was fairly clean. He hadn't been in here before, as it had been too risky.

"I'll...be back, wait here, okay?" She smiled weakly before disappearing into her room, which he was sure was painted green.

Rebecca closed her door behind her, rubbing her eyes hard to keep herself from bursting into tears. It had sounded like a good idea, but now she wasn't so sure. She'd have to leave everything, her house, her mother, her room, her bed... and she wasn't ready for that.

But at the same time, she loved him with all of her heart. She wanted to be with him...

She sat on her bed for a moment, trying to think and regain her composure. She wanted to talk to Billy first before she even packed. She wanted to see how long she would be gone for before she decided finally to go or make him go alone.

She stepped out of her room with a shaky breath. "Billy?"

"Yes, dollface?"

"What...how long would we be gone?"

"Not very long."

"I want a time amount, Billy." She murmured softly.

"...A few months, maybe shorter. It depends if this blows over soon or not."

She whimpered. A few months away from home? "I...B-billy..."

"Rebecca, what's _wrong?"_

"I'm scared." She whispered.

"Scared? Of what?"

"Scared of being away from home, and my friends, and my mom." She whimpered softly. "I'm just scared."

"Rebecca..." He frowned, wrapping his arms around her. "Don't be scared, I'll be here for you..." He murmured softly, stroking her short hair. "It'll be okay."

She whimpered, hiding her face in his chest and breathing in the scent of his cologne. It had become such a soothing scent lately. She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down.

"It'll be okay, Rebecca." He repeated softly.

She sniffled softly, rubbing her eyes. She looked up to him. "It'll be okay." She repeated back to him.

He smiled, wiping her tears away. "That's right. Now will you pack?"

She nodded, biting her lip and disappearing back into her room. She pulled out her biggest suitcase, beginning to pile it with clothes. Pajamas, dresses, jeans, sweats, t-shirts, long sleeved shirts, panties, bras, sandals and tennis shoes and a handful of socks. On top she put her cell phone and charger. What if her mother needed to contact her? What if they got stranded somewhere? She zipped it closed, looking for anything else she'd need to take. She grabbed a hoodie, tying it around her waist. It could be cold where they were going.

She pulled the suitcase off her bed, sniffling softly still. She felt more assured now, but she was still hesitant to leave her home behind. But it was only for a little while, and she'd be able to come home soon and resume her life as it was now.

She dragged the heavy suitcase into the living room, where Billy took it from there. He put it into the back of his trunk as she climbed into the front passenger seat. She sat quietly, watching him in the rearview mirror.

He slipped into the driver's side now, glancing over to her with a smile. "Where should we go?"

She shrugged lightly. "Somewhere not too far away?" She smiled weakly, looking to the floor now. She wondered how long it would be before her mother knew she was gone.

Billy backed up out of the driveway, looking over his shoulder as he did so.

"Do we have to go to your house so you can pack?"

"No, I packed last night." He murmured, glancing over to her. "I was really hoping you'd say you'd come with me, Dollface."

She smiled weakly, looking up to him. "I'm glad that I decided to come... I'll get to spend all the time that I want with you..."


	27. Afraid

Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine. Sorry, guys.

Author's notes: Went to the convention, was amazing. Seriously, guys. Cosplayed as RECVX Claire. It was REALLY fun. Totally worth the money I spent. Aside from that, I've still got pretty bad writer's block. I tried to write at the convention during the down time, but it just...didn't work, you know? Okay. So... drama! That's all that's happened, and now Billy and Becki just made it worse, eh? Speaking of making it worse, only one person can make it better. Read and review! Thanks, guys!

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Claire! I'm glad to see you back!" Claire was greeted by her first period physics teacher, Mr. Marini as she entered the classroom. Even though she was a bit sore, and her bigger wounds were still healing, she needed to be at school for today. She'd missed what seemed like forever, but in reality was only about a week. She knew she'd have a boatload of make-up work to do, but she was sure her teachers would give her time.

The redhead gave a soft smile, moving to sit in her normal seat. She shifted uncomfortably as everyone around her stared at her and whispered. She pulled her notebooks out, setting them on her table, tapping her mechanical pencil on the side of the desk. She tried to ignore them.

Mr. Marini cleared his throat. "Class, please. Can we begin the lesson?"

The class murmured for a few moments before taking their attention off of Claire, letting her relax. She breathed a sigh of relief, looking up as he began to write on the chalkboard.

She went through her classes, all of the teachers glad to see her back. She ended up with, just as she predicted, almost an impossible amount of homework. Thankfully, her teachers were understanding and gave her several weeks to finish everything.

She met Steve after school, happy to see him. After spending the entire last week together, in Claire's bedroom of all places, she missed him. She kissed him gently, leaning against him for a brief moment. She was exhausted and ready to go home. But she had to wait for Chris. He wasn't allowing her to drive _anywhere_ for a long time... She felt both indignant and relieved at the same time. She didn't want to have another car wreck.

Too embarrassed to admit it, she'd had nightmares since Chris had forced Steve to go back home. He didn't like how cozy they were getting. She woke up crying almost every day... She hadn't actually had a good night's sleep since she had been with Steve. She felt so... childish admitting that nightmares were causing her to react so badly. Well, she hadn't exactly _admitted _it to anyone...

He kissed her softly on the mouth. "How're you feeling today?"

"Sore. Exhausted. Over-whelmed." She murmured softly, looking up to him. He brushed her hair from her face.

"It'll get better, Claire." He kissed her forehead and she smiled. Just his presence made her feel comforted, like he was a security blanket.

Chris walked out of the main building with Jill in tow. Claire sighed relief. She just wanted to go home and lay down for a few hours before she started on her homework.

Claire and Steve took the back seat, as Jill took the passenger side and Chris took the driver's seat. Claire took Steve's hand gently, smiling over to him. He gave a grin right back. He loved the way that their hands fit together, and the way his skin felt on her skin. So soft. Chris had already agreed to give Steve a ride home for a while to thank him for taking care of his sister when she needed it.

Claire gave her boyfriend a good-bye kiss as he climbed out of the car. "Call me later?"

"Of course, beautiful."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Rebecca sat in the front seat with her bare feet up on the dashboard, watching the scenery go by outside. They'd gone through Raven's Gate Bridget a while back, and she couldn't recognize anything out here. She hadn't been this far out from the city. Her anxiety had subsided somewhat, but she still felt apprehensive about running away from home, with a thirty year old teacher, of all people.

She gave an audible sigh, causing Billy to glance over to her.

"What's wrong, Rebecca?"

She was silent for a moment before she came up with an excuse. "M'hungry."  
"Do you want to grab some fast food?"

"Can...we stop at a restaurant?" She suggested. She didn't particularly like fast food.

"Oh, yeah. Sure, I guess so. We'll see what's up at the next town, okay?"

She gave a silent nod, glancing over to him for a moment. "Billy?"

"Yeah?"

"What happens... if we get caught? And you go to jail?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "Don't worry about that, okay? Hopefully it won't happen."

She fell silent again, chewing her lower lip. They'd been driving for hours at this point, and she was already bored.

As they entered the next town, a very small one, Rebecca kept an eye out for an appealing restaurant. She spotted a diner, and pointed it out to the former marine.

"How about there?"

"Yeah, sure." Billy gave a smile, maneuvering his car to get over to the parking lot.

As they were sat down by a blonde waitress by the name of Cindy, Rebecca glanced up to the clock. Her mother would be home at any time. With no note, she was sure she would get suspicious. She picked up the menu, looking over it unenthusiastically. She decided on soup and a sandwich.

She ate in silence. Billy watched her, munching on his own food as he did so. He was concerned. She'd been so quiet since they'd gotten out of Raccoon City.

"Becca?"

"Yes?"

"What's wrong?" He frowned softly.

"Just...afraid." She murmured softly, taking a sip of her coke.

"Rebecca, it'll be okay." He took her hand from across the table. She sniffled softly again. "We've been over this. You gotta calm down."

She bit her lip, giving a weak nod. "I'll try."

"Is that why you've been so quiet since we got off of Raven's Gate?"

She finally gave another nod.

He squeezed her hand. "It'll be okay, dollface. You don't trust me?"

"M'just afraid." She repeated softly.

After Billy comforted the younger girl, they finished eating. He made sure to leave a large tip for Cindy and pay entirely in cash. There was no way he was about to let them track him using something silly like a credit card.

Rebecca fell silent once they were back in the car. It was nearing sunset and she was glad they were driving away from the sun. It was sending a glaring glow everywhere. She wondered how long it would take until they reached a hotel for the night.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The phone rang in that annoying high-pitched sound that Joseph hated so much. He let it ring until the answering machine picked it up. He half-listened to the voice, focused mostly on his video games. With Brad and Steve both having girlfriends, he spent most of his time on the newest games.

He frowned, pausing the game when he heard the voice on the answering machine take in a shaky breath.

"J-just...call me back if you see Rebecca."


	28. Mother Love

Disclaimer: Resident Evil doesn't belong to me, again, this story does.

Author's notes: Guys, I beat RE1 on the PS in five hours and five minutes, then Resident Evil 2 in four hours and 55 minutes. 3 Yay me. So aside from that, I do seem to have broken my writer's block, thank god. A dose of Resident Evil is all I needed to do. But the characters _still_ aren't behaving as they should be. So, chapter 27. Here you go! I'm going to work Richard in here if it KILLS ME. Please read and review, ask me any questions, etc. Thanks for reading, guys!

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"She's missing."

"Since when?"

"I guess she didn't come home from school." Joseph fingered the buttons on the phone lightly, feeling them click ever so slightly under his fingers. He felt this sinking feeling in his gut. He'd been on the phone all night. It was practically midnight, and he couldn't find her anywhere. She wasn't at Steve's house, Rebecca hadn't seen her; in an act of desperation, he'd even called Ashley Graham to see if she'd seen the nursing student.

Claire, although not as close to Rebecca as the boys were, was just as worried. Chris was always warning her about getting kidnapped or killed. She happened to be more in-tune with the fact that girls_ did _go missing every day. She just never thought it'd happen to someone she knew.

Her first thought was a pedophile; Rebecca was small framed and could easily be passed as a young teenager. Someone could've snatched her up on her walk home. Someone could've broken into her house and taken her hostage. All of these terrifying scenarios were running through her head.

She sat in her comfy arm chair in the living room, her fingers wrapped around the phone. She absently watched the television. Images flashed across the screen. She wondered how long it would be before Rebecca was on the news and an alert was sent out for her. She gave it until the six o'clock news in the morning.

She held the phone tightly, nearly jumping out of her skin when the phone did finally ring. It was Steve and he didn't sound any better than he did before. He was on the verge of tears, she could tell by the strain in his voice.

"Did you get anything?"

The redhead boy shook his head. "No, not yet... Brad hasn't answered his phone yet, and he's the only one we haven't talked to."

"Then get a hold of him!"

"Think he's sick? I didn't see him at school today."

"I can call Sherry, I think I've got her number around here somewhere." Claire ran her fingers through her hair, noting that she needed a shower.

"Good luck." Steve murmured and hung up. He rubbed his eyes, glancing to the clock. It was late, and he was exhausted from the day's events, but he didn't have any time to rest.

Claire dug through her backpack, sure that she'd ended up with Sherry's number somehow. A study group or a science project or something. She found it tucked away in a folder marked "homework." The slip of paper said "Sherry Birkin" followed by her number. She glanced to the clock, knowing that it was late. Claire was sure her parents wouldn't be happy about a phone call at midnight, but there wasn't much of a choice. Rebecca was missing, and time was of great importance.

"Hello?" Sherry answered the phone quickly to avoid waking her parents. She knew she should've been in bed by now, but she enjoyed staying up late with Brad to watch television. (But never scary movies, because it gave both of them nightmares, especially this late at night.) She'd usually sit on the arm of the chair, or beside him on the couch, but tonight she was feeling a bit braver. She sat in his lap, smiling to herself.

She knew her over-protective father would have a _fit _and throw him out on the porch if he saw it. She was thankful that he was sleeping.

"Sherry? This is Claire."

"Hi, Claire. What's going on so late?"

"...Rebecca's missing."

"Rebecca's missing!" The girl repeated, covering her mouth.

Brad stared at her. "What? Where'd she go?"

"You guys haven't seen her, have you?"

Sherry shook her head and looked to Brad, waiting for an answer from her boyfriend.

"N-not lately..."

"Do you guys know any other places that she could be?"

Brad was silent again, hesitating. Mr. Coen, the gym teacher. She could be with him, at his house, or even at school.

"...yeah." He reached up, taking the phone from Sherry. "Yeah, I know where she could be. Did...you try Mr. Coen's house?"

"...Mr. Coen?" Claire repeated, frowning softly. "No, why would there be any reason to do that?"

Brad swallowed hard, looking to Sherry. He'd kept his promise, hadn't told a soul about Mr. Coen and Rebecca's secret relationship. But now it looked like keeping that promise had landed him in trouble.

"They've had this secret relationship going on for the past few months." He said, shaking voice hardly above the volume of a whisper.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Rebecca settled down in bed, watching television on the crummy set. Her hair was still damp from her shower and she wore a short nightgown (much to Billy's liking.) She hadn't said much since dinner.

She felt guilty now. The homesickness had subsided for the most part. She just knew her mother was in tears, and she wanted to tell her it would be okay and that she'd be home soon. She knew that would be jeopardizing Billy... and she didn't want to do that. There would've been no point in seeking refuge in another town if she just called and told everyone where she was.

She gave a sigh aloud, causing the ex-marine to look to her. "What's wrong, Becca?"

"Just..." She hesitated, unsure if she wanted to tell him. She didn't want to offend him... "I feel really bad about not leaving a note..."

"Don't worry about it, Rebecca..." He leaned down, smoothing her hair and kissing her forehead briefly. "It'll be okay."

"You've said that before." She murmured softly, looking up at him from behind her bangs. He sat on the edge of the bed, frowning softly.

"Rebecca, you don't trust me?"

"Of course I do...it's just..."

"Just what?"

"You haven't done anything to make me feel better..."

He kissed her softly, stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers. "I haven't really had the time yet, today, dollface."

"I know." She whimpered softly, drawing her knees to her chest. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. She nuzzled against him, breathing in his cologne that had become a sort-of pacifier to her lately.

"Why don't you just sleep?" He murmured softly, watching her close her eyes without much of an argument. He kissed her forehead softly, smiling to himself.

Billy was up early, packing his clothes. He was planning on getting them as far away as he could. He was sure that by now there would be police looking for Rebecca by now.

It was six in the morning and he turned on the television, making sure the volume was low, so as to not disturb Rebecca. It was some local TV station with a news report going on right now. There was a younger woman with her brown hair in a tight knot at the top of her head and glasses. She wore a black and white pinstriped skirt set with a white collar poking out from underneath.

"Welcome back. If you're just joining us, I'm Ingrid Hunnigan. Nearby Raccoon City is still searching for a teenage girl that was reported missing early this morning. Reportedly, Rebecca Chambers didn't come home from school yesterday." They flashed a picture of Rebecca, smiling and flashing a peace-sign with her fingers. "Rebecca is sixteen years old with brown hair and green eyes. She's 5' 3'' and weighs in at about ninety pounds." They showed another picture of Rebecca with her arms behind her back and a closed-mouthed smile.

The reporter continued, looking out over her dark framed glasses. "Rebecca was last seen yesterday morning with a local gym teacher and ex-marine, Billy Coen." They showed a picture of Billy now and he swallowed hard. He'd have to do something to alter both Rebecca and his own appearance now... "Mr. Billy Coen has a tribal-type tattoo of the words "Mother Love" on his right arm." They flashed a picture of his tattoo now, and he groaned aloud.

"If you have any information on either of these missing persons, please call the Raccoon City Police Department Tipline..." He changed the channel, glancing to Rebecca. She was still sleeping soundly. He sighed, shaking his head.

He shook Rebecca awake, causing her to panic and push him away.

"Rebecca, it's me. You've got to get up."

Rebecca groaned, pushing him away. "What, Billy? It's six in the morning... give me another hour." She whined, rubbing at her bloodshot eyes. She hadn't slept well, every hour or so waking up and shifting positions.

"No, Rebecca. We've got to go. I'll get you some coffee on the way out of town, okay?"

"Why are we leaving so soon?"

"...they just had a news report on us. They're going to be looking for us, so we have to go."

She rubbed her eyes, sitting up in bed. "...why?"

"They think I kidnapped you."

She whimpered softly, moving out of the bed. "W-why!"

"Rebecca, you just went missing." he zipped up his suitcase. "They're bound to get suspicious. Who did you tell about us?"

"...Brad, remember?"

"Just Brad?"

"Just Brad!" She whimpered. "I wouldn't tell anyone else, it would get you in trouble, t-then you would go to jail...a-and I would be alone..."

He kissed her forehead. "Get dressed. We'll grab some breakfast on the way."

Rebecca loaded everything into Billy's car, wearing a pair of dark sunglasses. Billy suggested bleaching her hair so that it was blonde, but she declined. She didn't want to do anything permanent to her body until it was necessary. The sunglasses would help to disguise herself. (It always worked in the spy movies.)

Despite the high temperatures, Billy wore a long-sleeved shirt to hide his Mother Love tattoo. It was easily the most distinguishable characteristic on his entire body... He wasn't sure what he could do other than maybe wrap it in bandages. He was suddenly wishing he'd gotten a smaller tattoo...

They stopped at a convenience store on the way out of town, grabbing some food so they wouldn't have to stop for lunch, as well as a pair of sunglasses and a box of cheap black hair dye for Billy. He'd have to take a pair of scissors to his hair that night. He wasn't exactly enthralled at the idea, but he was ready and willing to do anything to stay with Rebecca.


	29. Relaxation

Disclaimer: I do not own Resident Evil or any of the characters in this story.

Author's notes: I've been trying to get this typed up for two or three days now. Argh, I just can't concentrate long enough to actually get more than the first paragraph up. Other than that, I will be writing yet another lemon, this time WeskerxClaire. Send what you'd like to see my ways. Sorry for the late update, as usual! Like I said, I had this written for almost five days before I actually finished it and put it up online. So please enjoy, thanks for reading, and reviews are very welcomed! So the last thing, BE WARNED. There is a bit of a lemon/lime scene in here, so please be warned. Skip past it if you're not interested.

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Claire drew a hot bath to relax in; after the hectic day she'd experienced, her entire body was aching. The muscles in her neck were tensed up, causing both her head to pound mercilessly. Her back was aching and every slight movement caused the knot in her mid back to tighten and send a shock of pain through her body. Between the car wreck and the stress of Rebecca going missing, she wasn't sure how much longer she could take feeling like this.

She slipped into the hot water, closing her eyes as the heat enveloped her. The muscles stooped aching after just a few moments of soaking in the hot water. She leaned her head back, pulling a hot, wet washcloth over her face to help ease her headache. She felt her thoughts drifting away as the darkness helped block out the day's events.

She ran her hand down her bare chest, feeling the soft skin beneath her fingertips. She liked the almost tingling feeling that followed It was just a nice feeling. She began to imagine Steve stroking her skin with his fingers. He touched her with just the tips of his fingers, leaving a sweet trail down her bare stomach. She bit her lip gently, imagining his hand dipping below the water now. His fingers gently played with the wet curls between her legs, causing her legs to ease open.

She stroked herself softly now, imagining it was Steve sitting between her legs. His movements were soft and uneasy, but she loved it nonetheless. She slipped a single finger into herself, giving a soft gasp. It almost hurt. She bit her lip softly, leaning her head back as she arched her back against her hand.

Chris knocked on the door and it jarred her from her fantasy. She whipped her hand out of the water and looked to the door.

"Y-yes?"

"Just checking up on you before I go to bed, Claire. Do you need anything?"

"...m'fine, Chris." She murmured.

After her long bath, Claire slipped into a pair of silky pajamas. She wondered briefly if Steve would give her a shirt to sleep in. She remembered the times when she stayed over at Steve's, and how comfortable his clothes were. On top of that, as an added bonus, he loved it when she wore his clothes.

She nuzzled against the pillows, glancing to the alarm clock. She realized that it read 1:57 in bright neon lights. She mumbled something under her breath as she rolled onto her side. She needed the sleep before what she knew was going to be hell in the morning.

As Steve and Claire walked into the main building of the school, they could hear murmurs. A low buzz of what they knew was gossip. About Rebecca and Mr. Coen. Claire heard everything from, 'Oh, she's so lucky! I wish I could get a man like Mr. Coen!' to. 'She's not good enough for him. What a little slut.'

The morning announcements began not with the usual "Good Morning, Raccoon City Stars!" bellowed by easy going class President Kevin Ryman, but instead solemn Principal Albert Wesker.

"By now, I'm sure you all have heard about our missing student, Rebecca Chambers, and the teacher who is the lead suspect in her disappearance, Mr. Coen."

Chatter arose in the classroom around Claire and she slumped back in her chair.

Wesker continued, "The very capable RPD is handling this. Nationwide reports on the missing pair have been sent out."

Claire chewed her lip, glancing around to the students as Mr. Marini told them to relax and not to worry.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Missing school for the second day in a row, Sherry was at home, trying to coax Brad out of the bathroom. He'd locked himself in there after he found out Rebecca had gone missing. It hadn't bothered him before that he was keeping a secret that could've been potentially dangerous. Rebecca was happy, and Billy was treating her well.

Rebecca had called him every so often to talk about it, since he was the only one that knew. She would say that she was "ecstatic" to be with him and "ready to burst" that she couldn't tell anyone. She was just so _happy_ that he hadn't wanted to tell anyone.

But now, now he felt terrible. There was guilt. What if Rebecca got killed? Raped? What if she wasn't really happy with the relationship and she'd been lying to him the entire time? What if Mr. Coen was forcing her to be in this secret, Teacher and Student relationship? Then there was fear. He was afraid that he would get in trouble for not telling the truth. What if the cops dragged him in for questioning? He was sure he'd be thrown in jail. If Rebecca had been killed, he would, on top of losing one of his best friends, be charged as an accessory to murder.

Just like that, he was in tears again. He hid his face, sucking in deep breaths between sobs.

"Brad..." Sherry whimpered, able to hear him on the other side of the door. "Brad, please don't cry." She pressed a hand gently against the bathroom door, wishing that she could comfort him but he just simply refused to come out.

"N-n-n-n-no." He whimpered. "It's m-m-m-my fa-fault that she's m-m-missing."

"Brad, please..."

"N-no!" He whimpered softly. If he had just told someone about Rebecca and Billy, then she would be at home, safe and sound. But now she was god knows where and she might not even be safe. "S-she could b-b-be lying dead i-in a di-dit-ditch somewhere!"

Sherry rolled her eyes slightly as he used the worst cliché ever, but sighed. "Brad, I'm sure she's fine... he wouldn't...hurt her, would he?" she was hesitant, not wanting him to cry anymore.

"I don't k-know!" He whimpered, taking in another shaking breath. "O-oh god."

"Brad...Brad, please stop crying." She whimpered softly.

He whimpered, rubbing at his eyes. "N-no. It's m-m-my fault."

"Brad, would you quit your goddamn whining!?" She snapped. "All you've been doing is whining and crying instead of trying to fix anything!" She'd been up all night trying to comfort him, and all he did was cry _more._ She gasped, surprised. She covered her mouth. She never really cursed often. "...I'm so sorry." She whispered.

She noted that Brad stopped crying. There was silence that was almost painful for Sherry until the lock clicked open. The door swung open a minute after, revealing Brad. He was standing there, shaking and drying his red, puffy eyes (both from staying up and crying) on his arm.

"M'sorry Sh-sherry." He murmured, closing his eyes as he wrapped his arms around the smaller girl, pulling her close to him. He felt awful. She was right. He could be out doing something productive, putting up posters, making phone calls, _anything._ But no, he'd been crying the entire night.

They stood in silence, arms wrapped tight around each other for a few moments before Brad spoke again.

"I re-really am sorry." He murmured softly, kissing the top of her head gently. "I...just g-got so caught up in everything, y-you know? It's...like, what if he hurts her? Or _k-kills _her?" He whimpered softly, feeling inclined to burst into tears again.

"Brad...Brad, I'm sure she'll be fine." The blonde gave a weak smile, looking up to him. She reached up with her small fingers and gently wiped away the tears which remained.


	30. Ready

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Author's notes: I've got a new poll taking the top five picks from the previous poll on your favorite Resident Evil pairing. Guys, don't be afraid to send long, detailed reviews. They really do help me! Questions, comments, suggestions, praise, where I could improve on, anything like that is welcome. I promise a lemon next chapter! And I also promise the next chapter to be up before Friday of this week. Thank you for reading, I love you guys! You guys are seriously amazing. Remember, long, detailed reviews! Thanks! Enjoy!

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Claire sat on Steve's couch, sipping a cup of hot coffee. She had practically begged Chris to let her stay with him for a few hours. She was exhausted from the lack of sleep the night before and then the day's events that all she wanted to do was sleep for a few days. It'd not only help her recover, but it'd ease her depression.

Almost every time someone mentioned Rebecca at school, torso as the day progressed, Claire would just break down into tears. They didn't understand what could be happening to her right now, and they were just talking about it like it had happened on some prime time teen drama. But this was _real._

She was quiet, which was strange when she was in Steve's presence. Steve was quiet as well. Claire could tell by the dark circles under his eyes that he hadn't slept well last night either. She figured that he'd been up making calls the entire night before he finally succumbed to sleep. She had a brief image of him, sleeping in an awkward position in his armchair, his fingers twisted lightly against the phone and his dogs curled up at his feet. She liked that image. It was sweet...

"...you hungry?" Steve broke the silence once he heard his stomach rumble. He hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch. He was much too shaken up to eat anything, but he knew that he had to have _something_ in his stomach.

Claire thought about it for a moment. She'd told Chris that she would eat. "Yeah. I haven't eaten in a while."

"...how does soup and a sandwich sound? It's all I can make." Normally, this statement would've been accompanied with a sheepish grin.

"Soup's fine." She murmured softly, looking up to him. She didn't want to eat much more than that. She didn't even have an appetite, so forcing down the soup would be hard enough.

Steve rose silently, slinking into the kitchen. There was more silence until Steve began to get pots and pans out for the soup. There was banging and shuffling, the mechanical whir of the can opener, the rush of the water from the faucet. Claire stopped listening, closing her eyes and leaning against the couch, simply exhausted. Just a few moments of resting her eyes would be okay. Just a few moments.

_He was kissing her ever so gently on the mouth. Probing tongue running lightly against her lower lip. Slipping inside of her mouth, soft slick flesh stroking her own in a rhythmic manner. Made her shiver, made her moan and whimper. Made her feel good, safe, warm, wanted. _

_It made her feel closer to him. But she wanted more. _

_Clumsy but gentle hands on her shoulders, her ace, touching her chest and sides, fingers touching her stomach, before finally settling between her legs. Thighs urged open with the slightest touch._

"Claire?"

_She bit her lip, blue eyes fixated on his, watching him slowly unzip her pants, tugging them off in a slow, cautious manner. He was so unsure, and it made her heart flutter. Next came her panties, in that same slow motion. He touched those red curls gently, looking up to her with a soft smile._

"Claire, wake up."

Her eyes opened and she blinked slowly, a little dazed. She went from the dream world back to reality so quickly, she could've sworn she wasn't wearing anything but a t-shirt.

"...w-what?"

"You fell asleep." He smiled softly, holding out the bowl of soup for her. "You looked really cute."

"Thanks..." She murmured, rubbing her eyes lightly before taking the cup of soup. Chicken noodle. She sipped on it, silently, eyes averted to the liquid. She felt bad for falling asleep, and she was embarrassed that she'd had a dream like that. Counting from the fantasy she'd slipped into the night before, that was two times.

"Claire?"

"Y-yes?"

"...you wanna spend the night with me?" He murmured, looking over to her.

"Chris won't let me..."

"But it's already late... and you're shaken up, Claire."

She took another mouthful of the soup down, looking up to him finally. "I guess. I guess I can call him and ask."

Steve shuffled, pulling the phone off of the charger and tossing it to her. She blinked, putting the soup down to catch it. She mumbled a 'thank you,' dialing her home number. She listened to it ring. Jill was the one to answer.

"Hello?"

"Jill...it's Claire, can I talk to Chris?"

Jill blinked, glancing sideways to her boyfriend. "It's your sister."

"Hey, Claire."

"...can I spend the night with Steve?"

"Oh, I dunno about that...Claire, you know it makes me nervous, you being around him without me there. Especially over night." He frowned.

"Please? I'm tired and I can just throw on some of his clothes and sleep in the living room..."

Chris heaved a heavy sigh. "Fine, Claire. I'll talk to you in the morning."

She hung up and gave a somewhat weak smile. "He said it'd be okay."

After dinner, Claire and Steve took turns bathing. Steve gave her a pair of pajamas to borrow, a pair of old sweat pants and a baggy t-shirt. As usual, he told her how beautiful she looked but she disagreed furiously. She much preferred how the tight clothes she normally wore looked on her. She decided that the baggy clothes dwarfed her figure.

But still, Steve persisted. They were sitting together in Steve's arm chair now, in a position that the pair had seen Chris and Jill in many times before. She sat in his lap, her legs sideways and her head leaning against his shoulder. It was comfortable. Neither of them talked, just breathed silently.

Claire had her eyes closed. She was teetering on the edge of sleep. She was surprised that she hadn't fallen asleep yet, since it was so comfortable in this position. She knew why, now, that Jill and Chris were always sitting like this.

She smiled softly, breathing in his scent. It was soothing.

He kissed her softly, warm lips on hers.

Her eyes fluttered open, meeting his. There was this wonderful spark. It traveled from under her breastbone to the rest of her body, making even the tips of her fingers and toes tingle.

She drew away, leaning her forehead against his, breathing softly.

"I love you." She whispered. It was the first time she'd said it. The first time she'd even _thought_ about saying it, and that's what made it so special.

The redhead gave a soft smile, kissing her lips once more. "I love you too, Claire..."

She kissed him back, closing her eyes and wrapping her small arms around his neck. She pulled herself closer to him, loving the way they fit together. Like two puzzle pieces that were made for each other.

Every worry vanished from her mind. Her body was relaxed. It was just bliss. The most simple way to put it.

She ran her fingers through his soft, still wet hair. She slicked it back, breaking away from him and kissing down his jawbone. She smiled softly, nibbling on his earlobe. She loved the taste and feel and texture of his skin.

"Mmm...your lips feel nice." It was almost a sleepy murmur from the boy. His heart was thumping a heavy beat against his chest and she could feel it. It made her smile, made her own heart skip a beat.

"Thanks." She whispered softly, pressing a hand flat against his chest to feel his heart beat as she bit into the side of his neck, flicking her tongue over the spot to ease any pain she might've caused. She didn't even know what was driving her at this point, she just wanted to forget everything that had happened recently. If fantasies and dreams could make her do that, why not go a step further?

She loved him, that was for sure. Jill had told her to save herself for the one she loved. And she was ready now.

She pressed her hand against his chest again. "Steve...?"

"Yeah, Claire?" His breathing was a bit heavier than usual, eyes still closed, head tilted back ever so slightly. He was starting to stiffen, muscles straining against his pants.

"...can we go...into you room?" She almost hesitated, but swallowed hard. Despite the fact that she did want this, she was nervous. Her and Jill had talked about Jill's first time before, (Claire hadn't really been too enthusiastic about hearing of her brother's prowess) and Claire remembered her brother's girlfriend saying that she had butterflies in her stomach, and she'd been almost terrified.

Steve blinked, a little caught off guard. He honestly hadn't been expecting her to ask that. "...a-are you asking...?"

She bit her lip, looking up to him. "Come on..." She moved off of his lap slowly, taking his hand with her own shaking one.

Steve blinked, stumbling to his feet. He was almost dazed. He was honestly shocked that this was happening. He hadn't expected Claire to be so ready and willing so early...


	31. Love

Disclaimer: Resident Evil does NOT belong to me.

Author's notes: Don't read if you guys are gonna whine, because this chapter is just a lemon. AGAIN, WARNING. SEXUAL CONTENT. This was planned to be up much earlier, but hell, I got sick, guys. :/ So this chapter is like five pages long. Yay for a long chapter for once! Apologies for this being so late, but please enjoy the lemon. There's really not that much to miss if you guys do decide to skip it, so no big deal. Sorry for those of you that decided against a lemon, because it was inevitable. AGAIN, THIS IS A LEMON WITH GRAPHIC SEXUAL CONTENT.

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Claire's clothes were off first, discarded to Steve's bedroom floor. Pants, shirt, panties. Steve stopped here for now. He touched the curls gently, feeling his face get hot. He peered up at her only for a moment before his shy eyes darted away.

"Steve..."

He looked back up to her. "...y-yeah?"

"...i-it's my first time too."

He kissed her softly with a smile.

The bra came off finally, after a few moments of Steve struggling, and there was that beautiful body that he'd seen only once before – when he'd peeked at her in the shower. The perfect breasts, the flat stomach, those hips that curved just right, the piercing in her navel, her round thighs. Her skin was amazing, only blemished by a freckle now and then, but Steve thought each and every one of them were just perfectly adorable.

"God...so beautiful...more flawless than I remember."

"...r-remember?"

"...from my dreams." He gave a weak grin, glancing away from her. He hoped that didn't sound too cheesy. It wasn't a lie; he'd dreamed about her a dozen times since he'd seen her naked body.

She smiled softly, tugging lightly at his pajamas now. "Off with these." She whispered. "It's my turn to see you."

The shirt was off, then Steve was haphazardly tugging down his pants and boxers. Clumsy fingers pulling the fabric from his body.

He was more on the scrawny side, but Claire loved it. Smooth chest. There was a very thin trail of hair leading downward and she followed it with her eyes, blushing softly when her sight rested on his member.

Standing at alert, he seemed fairly large. (Of course, it was the first she'd ever seen, so she couldn't really judge.) She wanted to taste it. She'd wondered what it would taste like, feel like in her mouth, or her hands.

She bit her lip, hesitating just for a moment before leaning forward to touch it. She dragged the tips of her fingers over the shaft, feeling the smooth, soft skin. She liked the way that it felt.

She hesitated, looking up to him. "Steve?"

"...yeah?"

"Can...can I taste it?" she whispered, looking up at him. She was still shaking from anticipation and excitement.

Steve blinked, a little taken back. "Taste...what?"

"...put it in my mouth..." She whimpered softly, a little embarrassed. She wasn't sure what terminology she was supposed to use, or what she was supposed to say at all. "...put _you_ in my mouth...can I?" She whispered.

"...oh god yes." Steve stared at her. He was almost shocked that she asked, but it made sense that she didn't use more vulgar words. At the same time he'd like to see her pretty little self ask, 'Steve, can I suck your cock?' But he'd settle for this, definitely.

Claire smiled softly, moving forward. She leaned down, slowly running the very tip of her tongue over the very tip of his shaft. Steve gave an instant gasp, arching up. It felt better than he'd imagined.

"Ohh..."

She carefully, slowly, wrapped a hand around the base of his erection. She squeezed lightly, watching him practically squirm beneath her. She smiled, deciding that she liked that. She dipped down, taking just the very tip of him into her mouth. She swirled her tongue over it, as though she were sucking on a lollipop. She kind-of liked the way it felt in her mouth; smooth and round. It didn't quite fill up her entire mouth, but it took up a generous amount of space.

Steve gave a low moan in his throat, more of a purr than anything, as he leaned his head back. He rested a hand on the top of Claire's head, twisting his fingers into her bright red hair. He tried to pull her closer, but she fought, determined, to stay where she was. She suckled softly, looking up at him to see his expression. She smiled to herself, moving to take just a fraction more in.

Steve bucked up, causing Claire to gag as the end of the shaft hit the back of her throat. She drew away, coughing hard. Tears were streaming out of her eyes.

"C-Claire?"

"Steve! What was that!" She whimpered, rubbing at her eyes. "D-don't _do that!"_

"M'sorry, beautiful... didn't mean to..."

Claire whimpered audibly again, looking away.

"Claire... I said I was sorry. The last thing I want to do is hurt you." He took her chin in her hand, kissing her softly. He could taste his pre-cum on her tongue and he liked it. It turned him the hell on and just made him want her more. He was throbbing at this point, feeling liable to burst if he wasn't going to get to take her soon.

She sniffled. "Okay...I trust you." She smiled softly, rubbing her eyes again.

He kissed her softly, smiling against her warm lips. "You wanna...get back to sucking me off?" He murmured softly, biting her earlobe gently.

"Steve!" She hit him across the shoulder, feeling her face get hot. She'd never been asked anything like that; she didn't know how to respond. But, she did know, that something sparked between her legs when he murmured 'suck me off.' She shifted, rubbing her thighs together. Wet and hot. It was slightly uncomfortable, but otherwise she liked the feeling. She was silent for a moment more before she turned her eyes on Steve.  
"...a-actually..."

"Actually what?"

"Can we..." Claire had trouble with the words. Since she _was _a virgin, (and had no prior experience at _all_) she didn't exactly know what words to use. 'Fuck' was the first word that came to her mind, but that didn't feel right. "...can we just..."

Steve kissed her softly. "Of course. Lay back." He instructed. She obeyed, slowly laying on her back on Steve's pillows. She stared up at him, taking just this moment to take him all in again. She smiled softly, her eyes scanning his body. God, she loved his body. She knew most girls were after types like Leon, but she loved Steve just the way that he was. Lack of muscles and all. Besides, he'd proven that he was strong enough to take Leon down in a fight. (Part of it was sheer luck, sure, but even still.)

"Part your legs for me." His voice wasn't wavering the way that hers was. He just seemed so much more calm and cool-headed than Claire, and that almost upset her. But she put it aside for now, knowing that she could think about it later. This, being with him, right now, was what was important. She did as she was told, staring at him. Her skin was still covered in goosebumps.

Now, Claire was sure that Steve was just as uncertain as her. He kissed her on the mouth, straddling her waist; he kept one knee on either side of her, so as to not crush her. He was shaking lightly, but not as much as Claire.

She felt his soft, warm manhood rub up against her leg and it shot a shiver up her spine. She was so ready for this. She felt the head at her entrance, pressing against her and it _hurt._ She gave a soft whimper, feeling him slip somewhat awkwardly.

"S-Steve..."

He frowned softly. "Claire?"

"H-hurts."

"I think it's supposed to hurt the first time, Claire." He whispered softly, watching her. She whimpered, her eyes closed. It felt as though she were being ripped in half. But she trusted him. If it was supposed to hurt the first time, then it was supposed to hurt, and that was the end of that.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, opening her eyes to stare into his. She could hardly see through the tears, just hoping and praying that the pain would dissipate soon. She couldn't take much more of this...

Steve felt a slight resistance build up and there was a sharp, quick pain for Claire which made her cry out. She dug her nails into Steve's back.

"O-ow! Claire! What are you doing!"

"H-_hurts._" She whimpered, closing her eyes. Where was the pleasure that Jill always talked about? Or that she heard about on TV, or from her friends? All this was was pain. And she _hated it._

Steve fit comfortably inside of her, a hand to brace himself on either side of her head. He stared down at her. "Does it still hurt? I can stop..."

She whimpered, shaking her head. "Just...just give me a minute." It didn't hurt so bad when he wasn't moving. He felt so much bigger than he looked...

He kissed her softly, gingerly, in an attempt to distract her from the pain. He nipped her lower lip, excited when he got a moan out of her. It was soft, but he liked it.

"See, Claire? It's not all bad." He whispered. "I'll be gentle and wait for you."

She smiled weakly, giving a nod. The pain had subsided. "Yeah...go on, it's okay."

He smiled, giving her another kiss. He was glad to see that she wasn't in pain anymore. He was just about ready to burst from the waiting. In and out, in and out. He moved slowly, painfully slow for him, so as to not hurt her anymore. He wanted this to be as good for her as it was for him.

She whimpered softly, digging her nails into his back again. This time through, the pain began to mingle with the pleasure. It hurt, but there was the pleasure beginning to blossom each time he thrust back into her. Gradually, he sped up, and the pain melted away entirely.

He was quiet aside from his heavy breathing, focusing on moving his hips just the right way. "How's that feel, Claire?"

"Oh...it feels good." She whimpered softly into his ear, her eyes shut tight. She could smell his cologne off of him, and it drove her wild. It was musky, but almost sweet. Oh god, she loved it. "It feels really good." Her voice was high and her moans were breathless, and oh god, Steve just wanted to make her moan louder with each thrust.

Though it began soft and gentle, making sure he wasn't hurting her, he was soon moving quick and fast. His arms held his upper body still, his lower body almost in a blur of motion.

Claire kept her eyes shut for the duration, just loving the feel of his skin on her skin. His heavy pants mingled with her soft whimpers in the air, hanging there for just a moment before disappearing.

Steve didn't last long. He was ready to climax within five minutes of their act. He slowed a bit, hesitating.

"C-Claire?"

"Hm?" She whimpered, running her fingers through Steve's luscious red hair.

"Can I..." His voice was husky, "Can I cum inside?" He whispered. He felt hot saying the words, feeling Claire shudder beneath him.

Claire answered without a second though, a soft, breathy, "Yes."

Steve gave a contented groan, bucking into her a final time before holding still as he climaxed. Claire whimpered, feeling his essence inside of her. It was hot, mixing with her own juices.

He pulled out, practically collapsing on the bed beside her. Between the wait and the foreplay, he was simply exhausted.

"Claire..."

She smiled softly, staring up at the ceiling. "Oh..."

They were silent for a moment, both regaining their senses.

"...I love you so much, Claire." The boy murmured softly, looking over to her. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He kissed her lips softly.

She was still quivering all over, pressing against him. "Love you too, Steve...with all of my heart..."


	32. Scars

Disclaimer: Resident Evil still doesn't belong to me.

Author's notes: So sorry to those of you who didn't want the lemon, but again, it was bound to happen. Speaking of lemons... Currently I am working on a handful of lemons, as usual, so for those of you did enjoy the last chapter, I'll have like four new lemons up if I have anything to say about it. Other than that, I have a few new pairings that I'm addicted to, them being Cleon and WeskerxClaire. Italics, as usual, are thoughts or day/dreams. There's a real treat this week, considering that this chapter is almost a page and a half longer than it normally is! I just got sidetracked with Joseph...who yes, is back in the story after dropping out for a brief hiatus? Ah well. Remember, questions, comments, ideas, what you'd like to see, what you wouldn't like to see, who you'd like to see doing who, anything! Reviews are very well welcomed and loved. Make my day and send me a review! Thanks for reading, I hope you guys enjoy the newest chapter.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"You've got scars now." Steve murmured softly, tracing the long scar on Claire's shoulder with the tip of his finger. "God..." There was a sigh from the boy. "If I were in that car, your skin would still be flawless."

"No, you would be dead, Steve. We've been over this before. You would be dead. You didn't...even see the car." Her voice began to waver as she completed her sentence, looking away from the boy. She'd imagined it hundreds of times. _They would just be talking and laughing, planning their next date, and then there was metal on metal and the sound of him screaming. The screaming shook her down to her bones, filled her ears and her senses_

_It was something like out of those movies they show in Driver's Ed, 'Red Asphalt' and the like. Shock films to make young, new drivers pay attention. But god, it wasn't a scene out of a horror movie, this was happening._

_ His face was hardly recognizable, scraped to the bone and only raw, jagged flesh remaining on his crushed skull. The entire right side of his body was gone, limbs ripped from the joints. The blood was everywhere, metallic and sickening. His stomach was ripped open, entrails spilling out like an overfilled bean bag chair._

_The skin that was left on his body was burnt, blistered and had a scent emanating from it that reminded Claire of her brother's pan-seared roast beef... but she noticed that the screaming finally stopped._

She came to her senses and felt soft finger tips on her cheek, wiping away tears.

"Claire?"

She blinked, feeling the wet tears on her eyelashes and cheeks. Embarrassed, she moved to wipe them away, muttering an apology.

"What was that about?"

"What happened?" she murmured softly, rubbing at her eyes.

"...you just got real quiet, and you got this glazed look over your eyes... You weren't answering me, it made me a little scared."

She smiled weakly, a forced grin before looking away. She refused to meet his gaze, only seeing the bloody mess that he had been in her daydream. "Just...don't mention that anymore, please..." She whispered, closing her eyes.

Steve kissed her softly, wiping away the last of her tears with a gentle stroke of his palm. He said nothing for a few moments, not wanting to upset her any further. Finally, he spoke, stroking her hair and holding the still naked girl closely to him. "Why don't you sleep? It's starting to get late." He suggested.

She didn't argue, deciding that sleep might be better for her. If she had a nightmare, she could wake up and see that Steve was perfectly fine, like when she first got home from the hospital. She nuzzled against him, closing her eyes.

Steve stroked her hair, watching her. "I'll be right here." He murmured softly with a slight smile. He absolutely loved being this close to her... and the fact that she was naked just made it better.

"....g'night, Steve." She murmured softly, breathing in his oh-so soothing scent. Along with his almost sweet cologne, there was a slight undertone of sweat from their little exchange.

"Sweet dreams, Claire."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Rebecca sighed heavily. Much to her dismay, Billy had dragged her up at six in the morning, and told her to shower and get ready to leave. They'd been up at six or earlier since they'd ran away from Raccoon City, and she wasn't happy about it. She needed her beauty sleep.

But she wasn't the only one suffering. She'd noticed a change in Billy lately. He was grumpy and easily to anger. She'd stopped complaining, hoping not to upset him. She'd never seen him when he was truly angry, and she didn't know what to do when he did get upset.

Billy had left with promises of breakfast (Rebecca was excited since all they'd had for breakfast for a week was processed fast food crap.) but, he hadn't returned and she was beginning to get worried. What if someone had recognized him and called the cops? _Oh god, that's child molester, pedophile kidnapper status right there..._ Rebecca thought numbly, staring at the door. If he did get caught, how long did she have before they came looking for her? How long until they shipped her back home? How long until Billy was rotting away in some prison, the whole ordeal being her fault?

She was really starting to worry now. She sat on the edge of her bed, her head in her hands. 20 minutes had passed since he had left. _He could be in some holding cell by now..._

Rebecca whimpered aloud, staring intently at the door now. "Billy, where are you?"

"Right here, dollface." Billy pushed open the hotel room door, keys in one hand and holding a plastic bag in the other. "Why, is something wrong?"

"Billy! I was worried." She murmured, jumping to her feet. "Where'd you go?"

"Had to stop by the bank and get some money, you know, Cash." He gave a slight shrug and held out the bag to her. "Breakfast."

She hugged him, taking the plastic sack as she drew away. She looked inside, finding some fruit, a couple small containers of milk, a couple of small bags of chips and some energy drinks. (She assumed the energy drinks and chips were for later tonight, so she went for the fruit.) She pulled a banana out of the sack, peeling it as her free hand moved to get some of the milk out of the bag. "M'glad that you're back." She murmured, swallowing a mouthful of banana. "I was starting to think that someone had caught you and you were in jail."

Billy gave a smirk, watching her eat the banana. "Yeah?"

She blinked, looking down to her banana and then up to Billy once she noticed he was watching her so intently. She felt her face get hot. "Billy!"

"I can't help it, Princess." He crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall. "You're practically teasing me with that. It's been what, a week and a half?"

She flustered, taking a drink of milk. She looked away, finishing her banana. She threw the peel into the trashcan, finishing the bottle of milk. She wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, stretching her arms over his head. "Should we get going?"

"Yeah, I'll pack." Billy moved to gather everything up.

Rebecca sat on the edge of the bed again, turning on the television. The news station that they'd kept it on for days for updates on their own disappearances flickered onto the screen.

"If you're just joining us, we're here with Ashley Graham."

Rebecca raised an eyebrow. Why would Ashley be on TV?

The reporter, Ingrid Hunnigan, continued. "She's about to issue a plea to Mr. Billy Coen, who the Raccoon City Police Department believes to be her kidnapper."

Rebecca frowned softly, looking to Billy. More than one thing was wrong with this broadcast; She hardly knew Ashley, why would she be asking for her safe return? Second, she'd complied to come with Billy... it wasn't kidnapping. Why didn't people understand that?

Damn, she hated this law. She loved him with all of her heart... and all that they got from everyone else was disapproval. Rebecca whimpered, rubbing her eyes as she concentrated on the television as Ashley came on screen.

She was sitting in one of those booths with several RPD members standing by, as though they thought she'd be the next to be kidnapped. Rebecca rolled her eyes lightly, looking over Ashley. She wore a short, strapless orange dress. She was always out to show off as much of her body as was possible. She was starting to hate her more by the minute.

"Billy Coen." Ashley addressed, staring straight at the camera. "My name is Ashley Graham. I'm Rebecca's best friend."

Rebecca growled, jumping from her seat now. "What! She is not! I hardly know her!"

Billy glanced over to her. "Rebecca, calm down. She just wants some publicity."

Ashley continued, "She is in my thoughts and prayers every night. Please, bring her home safely."

Rebecca whimpered and Billy hugged her to calm her down.

"My father is offering a huge reward to anyone who can give any information leading to pedophile Billy Coen's capture." She looked right at the camera again at the last four words.

Rebecca shuddered. _Pedophile Billy Coen's capture._ "...Billy..."

"Don't worry Rebecca." He stroked her hair softly, giving her forehead a kiss. "Relax, I promise it'll all be okay." He drew away, zipping his suitcase closed. "Lets get going."

She nodded, gathering her own things and quickly throwing them into her own suitcase before following him. Out the door. "Promise?"

"Promise." He smiled softly, glancing over to her as they climbed into Billy's car.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Joseph watched the television, drinking his normal black coffee. It was all he had for breakfast every day. He shook his head. He'd heard that Ashley would be on the TV today, so he'd tuned into the News channel. He sighed aloud. They'd only dated for about two or three weeks, maybe a month at the most, before he'd decided that she was too over the top for him. She was girly, loud, an attention seeker, and just not his taste at all...

He flipped the channel when she began proclaiming that she was Rebecca's best friend. He knew that line was bullshit. Steve, Brad and himself along with Sherry Birkin were Rebecca's closest friends. He knew this for a fact. They'd been friends since elementary school. How _dare _she use Rebecca as a publicity stunt...

"I can't believe I dated her." He murmured aloud, standing up. He glanced to the clock; it was nearly time to get going to walk to school with Steve. He gathered up his things, throwing his backpack over his shoulder as he slipped his headphones on. He turned the sound all the way up, which was normal for him as he headed out the door.

Once at Steve's house, he knocked on the door. He heard the dogs bark and took a few steps away from the door. Steve normally put his dogs outside in the morning so Joseph wouldn't have to worry. (Steve was probably the only one in the group who wasn't afraid of dogs, Joseph realized. Both Brad and himself were terrified of dogs and could only half way handle Steve's dogs.) He frowned softly, wondering if everything was okay.

"Steve! Open up!" He called, waiting for a response. He frowned deeper, hitting the doorbell with the palm of his hand. "Come on, man. We're gonna be late to school." He held the doorbell down until he heard the door lock open with a click. "Finally..."

Steve stood there, wearing nothing but boxers. "What's up?" He asked groggily, rubbing his eyes.

Joseph sighed. "You're not dressed."

"...nuh uh, I just got up." He scratched the back of his head. "Sorry...it was a rough night. Give me a few minutes, okay?"

"Yeah, sure... can you put your dogs outside so I can hang in there for a while?"

Steve nodded, moving to get his pets outside.

Joseph took a seat on the couch, watching the TV again. Instead of the news, he was watching some show about technology and video games. It wasn't uncommon for him; whenever Joseph wasn't playing video games or fiddling with his gadgets.

Claire came down the hall, rubbing her eyes. "Steve...?"

"In the kitchen, Claire. Grabbing something to eat before school." Steve called, smiling to himself. He felt fantastic this morning, and hoped that Claire did as well. He watched her half the night before falling asleep, and she seemed to be sleeping pretty soundly...

"What time is it?" She asked, walking out into the living room before jumping to cover herself. She wasn't wearing anything but one of Steve's t-shirts and a pair of panties. "J-Joseph!"

Joseph blinked, looking up. He hadn't seen anything, not even paying attention to her. "...huh?"

She blushed, turning and heading into the bathroom. "I'm...gonna take a shower, Steve!" She called, feeling how hot her face was. She was glad she'd grabbed Steve's shirt. She didn't even want to think how embarrassing it would've been to let Joseph see all of her girlie bits, front and center...

Joseph raised an eyebrow now, looking to Steve. "She spent the night?"

"Told you it was a hard night. She wasn't doing very well, so she stayed the night..."

"...does her brother know?"

"...know what?'

Joseph laughed, scratching the back of his head. "How was it?"

"How was what?" Steve asked, still trying to play innocent. He didn't find it exactly... right to just go around bragging about sex. It was a violation of Claire's privacy, and he knew he would be mincemeat if Jill and Chris found out... much less Leon. He shuddered at that thought.

"Claire. How was she? Was it good?"

Steve finally broke into a bashful grin. "...it was amazing. Fantastic. Wonderful." He smiled, taking a bite of cereal. "I mean really, you'd have to be there to understand."

Joseph gave a laugh, shaking his head.

Claire had to borrow some of Steve's clothes which felt like the tenth time, but it was only the second or third. At least she got to smell him all day at school today. She liked that.

She picked out a slim fitting blue t-shirt and a pair of jeans that needed to be held up by a belt, considering she was a lot smaller than him. Steve gave a smile when he saw her.

"How do I look?" she asked uneasily, hoping that she did look half-way decent.

"Beautiful." Steve smiled. "Absolutely beautiful..."

Claire smiled, running her hands through her hair. "Should we get going? We're already late to first period..."

"Yeah, I'll grab my stuff."


	33. Trust

Disclaimer: Resident evil doesn't belong to me.

Author's notes: OMG I AM SO SORRY. /sob I FEEL LIKE I FAILED YOU GUYS. Seriously, I've been sick, then I had a convention, and then I was sick again! This chapter is like THREE WEEKS LATE. Oh my god, thank you SO much for sticking with me. I should probably say that I don't support smoking. ... or unprotected sex. So don't do those. I love you guys so much for reading. Really, please review! I'll try to get another chapter up ASAP. Thanks for reading and sticking by me!

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Chris reached over, digging out a package of crumpled pack of cigarettes from the glove box of his car, pulling out a cigarette. He slipped it into his mouth, just the scent of his favorite brand of cigarettes calmed his nerves. He'd stopped smoking six months ago, because Jill had wanted to. It was hard for him, but he quit. But here he was, lighting up one of those last few cigarettes he'd stashed away, much to Jill's dismay.

Jill wasn't smacking the cigarette from his hand and scolding him; she was just as upset as he was. Claire had flagged her down during lunch, dragged her into the girl's bathroom and blurted a secret. Apparently, she'd kept it from everyone but her. (Claire had made Jill promise not to tell anyone, especially her brother. Jill knew from the moment she made it that she'd have to break that promise.)

Chris was silent, taking a long drag from his cancer stick, as Jill called it, the soothing tobacco calming his nerves after a few moments. He drew the cigarette away, blowing out the smoke. It furled into the air in silence.

Jill watched him. There was something sexy about the way he worked his mouth and fingers around the cigarette, even if she didn't like him smoking. She pushed the thought from her mind at this point, shaking her head.

"...Chris, what are we going to do?"

"Make her take a pregnancy test." He leaned his head back, blowing out another mouthful of delicious smoke. He'd honestly forgotten how good the tobacco tasted. "That and ban her from seeing Steve." The shaking in his hands had finally subsided thanks to the calming cigarette.

"...Chris, you can't do that. I'm just as worried as you are. She really loves him."

"She had _unprotected _sex with him, Jill." Chris's voice came out in a low growl, eyes flicking to the corner of his eye to watch her. She sat in her seat on her knees, turned to him. She said nothing, just staring at him with wide eyes as he continued, "He could have given her an STD. He could get her pregnant. It's almost an endless list of possibilities."

"Yeah, she made a mistake. But she's not stupid." Jill argued, frowning softly now. She was starting to get more upset now; not just about Claire at this point. Chris seemed to think he could control every aspect of Claire's life, and she knew that was wrong. The redhead was sixteen, and she needed some elbow room to grow and make her own mistakes. (Granted, this was a big one.) Jill had once heard a lyric from a song, "_Even a sheltered rose needs room to bloom outside her bedroom."_

Chris went to take another puff of the cigarette, but Jill snatched it from his hands. Instead of throwing it out the window or snuffing it out, instead, she took a puff. Instantly, she coughed, spluttered, and handed the burning cigarette back to her boyfriend. It tasted awful, made her eyes water, and burned the back of her throat and lungs. She didn't see how Chris ever got into smoking in the first place.

Chris shook his head with a slight smirk and look of amusement on his face. "She made a mistake that could ruin her life. I've told her not to have sex until she's ready."

"...she was ready." Jill almost wheezed, rubbing her eyes vigorously with her knuckles. "Chris, she does love him. She was ready to lose her virginity."

Chris said nothing, looking away. He dropped the cigarette butt into the car ashtray, lighting up another cig. He took a few long puffs in the silence.

"...Chris, look at me."

He did so, turning his blue eyes onto her.

Jill reached over, taking his hand. "We'll make her take a pregnancy test, and we'll go from there. Okay?"

"Jill, I don't want her seeing Steve anymore." He muttered, putting out the cigarette now. "I'm her older brother, I'm the guardian, and what I say, goes. I'm sorry, Jill." He went to touch her face.

She snatched her hand away from him, pushing him away from her. "She's going to hate you. Chris, you know that's why I came to live with you. My parents found out that we slept together and kicked me out...remember?"

"...yeah, I remember." He murmured softly, eyes studying Jill's face. Where her lips had been tight before, they were starting to droop. She was upset. "But we used a condom, and you were on birth control..."

"And you would've given her a condom if she asked for it?"

"...well, no, but..."

"Exactly. Remember when I wanted to put her on birth control? Nooo, you said. She won't need it, you said."

Chris sighed, shaking his head and throwing up his arms in defeat. "Fine. We'll pick up a pregnancy test on the way home, okay?"

Jill smiled, triumphant. She shifted, sitting down in her seat and pulling on the seatbelt. "Yeah. Okay."

"Chris!" Jill called, peeking from the front window. She could see Claire and Steve heading up to the house. (They'd opted to walk home together to spend some time together.) They were walking hand in hand, silent, glancing to each other every once in a while. They were still shy, especially after the night they'd had together. "Chris, she's here, and she's got Steve with her!"

"Steve..." He growled, cracking his knuckles.

Jill cast a glance over shoulder at the boy. "...you can't hurt him. Chris, what's gotten into you?"

"He deflowered my little sister. That's what." He growled. "That's _my baby sister._ He took her virginity! God, I wanna kick the shit out of him so badly..."

"Chris, I'll lock you in the closet."

Chris blinked and stared at her, bewildered. "...I...what...Jill..." He fell silent.

"That's what I thought." Jill turned back to the window, watching Claire pull out her house key. She unlocked the door and the brunette took a few steps away. She crossed her arms as Claire broke the threshold of the house.

"...Claire."

The redhead swallowed hard, looking from Chris to Jill. "...Y-you told him."

Steve instantly took a step back, feeling ready to run. He knew he'd only won the last fight he was in against Leon because of the lucky sweep of his foot. No way he'd be able to take down Chris. Football player, jock, built like a boulder Chris. (Well, he had to have been at least twice Steve's size.)

"Claire, we want you to take a pregnancy test." Jill was calm, much calmer than any of the others in the room. Chris was clenching his jaw, leaning against the wall. Steve looked like he was about to either run or faint, and Claire was either ready to cry or punch Jill.

"You _t-told_ him. You _promised _you wouldn't tell him. It was a secret!" Her voice was between a whimper and a yell. It came out a sort of strangled whimper. "J-Jill...I hate you s-s-so much!"

"Claire. You're going to take a pregnancy test. We picked one up at the store for you."  
Claire gave a yell, throwing her hands into the air. "I hate both of you! This is _my private life!" _she let out another yell of frustration.

"....Claire, I'm your brother. You do what I say. You're going to go take this pregnancy test." He held out the pink and white box. It was some sort of "early detection" pregnancy test that Jill had picked out after several long minutes standing in the aisle. Chris was embarrassed, but he dealt with it.

Claire snatched it from him, pushing past him and slamming the bathroom door. She could be heard spluttering curses on the other side.

Steve was left standing there awkwardly, shifting weight from leg to leg. He hadn't been more uncomfortable in his life. He was scared and he was beyond uncomfortable. He stared at the floor, praying he would just become invisible and Jill and Chris would leave him alone.

"Steve." Chris growled, but quieted when Jill hit him upside the head.

"Steve," Jill took a step forward. "...you didn't have a condom?"

The younger boy shook his head, hands deep in his pockets. "...no."

"Why not? Were you just expecting her to have one?"

Steve looked up, through his bangs. "...I...wasn't expecting to have sex with her. It just sort of happened. I swear. I didn't even think about it."

"You're in deep shit if you think you're gonna walk away if she's pregnant." Chris growled, taking a few steps towards the boy. Steve, in turn, backed up against the wall. He was poised to run.

The three waited in tense silence, waiting for Claire to come out of the bathroom. It felt like hours, but in reality was only seven minutes.

The door opened and Claire held the pregnancy test by the plastic base. She held it out to Chris with a look of hate in her eyes. "Here."

Chris took a step back, holding his palms out to her. "...I don't want it...ew."

She glared, holding it out to Jill. "Take it. It said we had to wait five minutes for the test results." She moved back to Steve.

Steve wrapped his shaking arms around his girlfriend, pulling her close. He kissed her temple gently. He sent a half-hearted glare to Jill and Chris.

"...Chris, come look at this..."

Chris frowned, taking the few steps to look over her shoulder. "What's the box say?"

"Two red lines and it's positive. One red line and it's negative." Claire murmured, closing her eyes. God, she didn't want to know. She couldn't be pregnant. She had high school, and college... she wanted to do something with her life, not have to take care of a child. She knew she couldn't.

"...it's two red lines." Jill murmured, pointing. One line was faint, barely showing up against the white background of the test, and the other stood bright. "...Two red lines, Claire. It's positive."


	34. Betrayal

Disclaimer; Resident Evil still doesn't belong to me, even after 30-something chapters.

Author's notes: SO MANY THINGS TO DO. I'm entering two contests on deviantart, on top of doing the 100 theme challenge. (As I've mentioned before, I've written a handful of those, but I just don't like them :/) That and the reason you guys are treated early is because I'll be busy tomorrow. So here's your weekend update! Oh snap, this entire chapter is about Billy and Rebecca. Took probally...two, three hours all together to write. (I kept getting distracted!) Thanks for reading guys! Please make my day and send me a review! Enjoy the chapter!

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Billy... can we sleep in tomorrow morning?" Rebecca asked, curled up in the passenger's seat with her back towards her lover. She was cold, despite the temperature being well into the 70's. She sat with an old blanket that Billy had in his car wrapped around her body, her head leaning against the headrest of the car seat. "I'm not feeling so well." She closed her eyes. She'd woken up that morning with a headache and a slight cough, but Billy told her that it was simply exhaustion and stress.

"You can sleep in the back seat, dollface."

"I don't _want _to sleep in the back." She whined softly, rubbing at her eyes. She was tired, home sick, she wasn't feeling well, and she wanted nothing more than to go home right now. "Billy, please..."

"Rebecca," His voice was almost a growl. "We can't afford to stay in the hotel any later than seven in the morning, you know that."

She whimpered softly, feeling tears spark at the corners of her eyes. She pulled the blanket over her head. It smelled like dust. She wondered at the back of her mind how long the blanket had been in the car.

It was evening now, the sun had already sunken below the horizon, and she ached all over. It wasn't the normal ache from being in the car too long, stiff muscles that just needed to be moved; it was a deep muscle ache, especially in her lower back that throbbed and hurt when she _breathed._ Her head was throbbing this steady rhythm, every time her heart beat. Her chest ached from the inside out, she was coughing hard and all she wanted to do was sleep.

The vibrations coming from the car on the uneven road made her head throb more and making it near impossible to sleep. She was sick and she knew it, but the only problem was convincing Billy that she was... She was a nursing student, a candy striper. She knew when she was sick, and that's what upset her so much about the situation. Billy didn't believe her.

"Billy, can we get a hotel room early tonight?" She whimpered, still hiding beneath the blanket. She didn't want to look at him. "Please."  
"Rebecca, we can't _do _that!" He snapped.

"...P-please." Her voice cracked.

Billy frowned, falling silent. "...Rebecca?"

"W-what?"

"What's wrong?" He glanced sideways to her.

"...I _told_ you. I'm not feeling well." She whimpered, frustrated and exasperated. All she wanted was some of her mother's home-made chicken noodle soup, her favorite pajamas, some hot chocolate and to be cuddled up in her bed. Her own bed, back in Raccoon City... she missed Raccoon so much, it actually hurt her chest to think about it.

"...I guess we can get a hotel as soon as we get into town, alright?"

Rebecca gave a soft sniffle and a nod, hardly peeking out from underneath her blanket. "...t-thanks." She smiled weakly. She shouldn't be thanking him, since she needed the rest. She knew it, but she thanked him anyways.

Billy stayed true to his promise, stopping off at the first hotel in town. It was a sort of small hotel, and Billy was glad for that. It would mean easy access getting in and out and no problem paying with cash.

He left Rebecca in the car as he went inside to get a room. As he thought, there was no problem. He moved back into the car with the hotel room keys, they were old school metal keys – he hadn't seen a single set since they'd been on the road. "We're in room seventeen, alright, dollface?"

Rebecca gave a nod, her eyes half open at this point as the man pulled the car around to the back, slowly to make sure he didn't pass the room. "Alright, here." He handed her the keys. She gripped them loosely, moving to get out of the car. "You go on inside, I'll bring the bags in, deal?"

She nodded, stumbling to her feet. She ran her fingers through her hair to look halfway presentable, moving just about as quick as she could to the door. She was dizzy – but she wasn't sure if that was from standing too quickly or being sick with whatever she had.

She was settled in bed by the time Billy finished bringing in both suitcases and anything else in the car that he needed. He sat on the other bed, watching her. She stared at the old TV that was turned off. She wasn't even sure if it worked, but she didn't care at this point. She just wanted medicine and rest.

"Billy?"

"Yeah, Becca?"

"Can you get me some aspirin?" She murmured softly, looking to him tiredly.

"...sure. I'll have to go to the store. Is there anything else?"

"Orange juice?"

"...sure."

"W-what about cough syrup and vaporizing rub?"

He nodded, rising. "Anything, Princess."

She smiled weakly at the nickname, watching him go. "A-and a thermometer?"

He gave a nod, grabbing the car keys from the empty dresser as he walked out of the room, making sure that the door was locked behind him. He shook his head, half-wishing that he'd listened to her and let her sleep in for an extra few hours. He couldn't take her to the doctor.

Rebecca listened for the car to start up and she crawled out of the bed. She was shaking lightly all over. She opened her suitcase, digging around through the dirty clothes for pajamas. She picked a heavy pair, long sleeved fleece. She pulled them on, shoving her dirty clothes into the case. She needed to do laundry, she had to talk to Billy about it. She knew he wouldn't be thrilled.

She sat on her knees, listening hard over the throbbing, almost blinding headache as she dug through the clothes again for her cellphone. She'd placed it in when she'd left, just in case she needed it. She needed it now. She wanted to talk to her mother.

She turned it on, watching the screen light up. _Hello Princess._ Was displayed as the phone loaded up and she couldn't help a weak, almost bitter smile.

She ran her fingers over the keys gently, missing how it felt in her hands. It seemed silly, but it was another comfort from home – much like the soup and her own bed – that she missed sorely. She used to text Brad and Steve and Joseph all the time.... just one text wouldn't hurt, right? One text to Joseph, one call to her Mom. She had time for that before Billy came back to the hotel, right?

She picked Joseph's name from the contact list, typing quickly as her shaking thumbs would go. Her vision was starting to splinter and blur because of the throbbing headache.

_I'm safe. I miss you guys._ She watched the letters on the screen, hitting the send button. Thank god her Mom had kept her phone turned on.

She dialed her home phone number now, glancing to the door. She listened to it ring. She realized she hadn't even talked on the phone since Billy and her left Raccoon.

Her mother's voice picked up the phone, tired but hopeful on the other end. "Hello?"

"H-hi Mommy. I miss you." She said, her voice highly above a quivering whisper. "M'really sick, and I w-wanna come home now."

"...Rebecca..." She was stunned, it was obvious in her voice. She erupted into tears on the other end, and it made her heart ache even more. She was putting her mother through this, her friends, her classmates. While some people, like_ Ashley Graham_ were soaking in the fame, other people were heartbroken. She did this just so she could sleep with an older man, much less a _teacher _of hers?

"I'm...I'm safe. I promise... I just...miss you s-so much." She breathed slowly, trying to keep calm and keep herself from erupting into tears.

"Rebecca, tell me where you are! I've--," Rebecca took the phone away from her ear, eyes wide as she heard the car pull up. She clicked the phone off, turning it off and shoving it into the bottom of the suitcase. She moved to stand, feeling the blood rush from her head into her feet. Dizzy. _Dizzy as hell._ She stumbled a step or two towards her bed but collapsed, seeing white.

The door opened and Rebecca whimpered softly, trying to push herself from the floor in a panic. Oh, god. What was Billy going to do with her? A punishment?

"Rebecca!" The man frowned, rushing to her side. "Rebecca, what are you doing on the floor!?"

"Billy..." She searched her mind, trying to think of a quick excuse. "I was changing...into my pajamas, and I got real d-dizzy and I saw white and I fell."

He frowned, scooping her up. He pulled her close to his body, taking just the few steps over to the bed. He set her down gently and she curled against the mattress.

"I'm going to take your temperature, alright, Rebecca?" His brow was furrowed, concern showing in his voice and on his tired features – both because he couldn't take her to the doctor, and he didn't know what was wrong with her.

She nodded, rolling over onto her back. She listened to the ex-marine and now ex-teacher open the plastic shell. He pulled out the little paper booklet, reading over the directions quickly. "Hmm...Alright, Rebecca. Open your mouth."

"Yessir." She whimpered, opening her mouth. He slid the thermometer into her mouth. She closed her eyes, making sure the thermometer stayed in place.

Billy watched it go up from 'low' to 95 degrees, to 98 degrees, to 100 degrees... it finally stopped at 102.3 degrees. He swallowed hard, taking it from her mouth. "You need some fever reducer."

She whimpered softly, sitting up. He poured her a little cup of cough syrup, handing it over to her. She downed it, wrinkling her nose. It tasted awful, but she didn't want to complain. He passed over a bottle of orange juice now, and a couple of aspirins.

"Take those."

"Yessir." She did as she was told, leaning back when it was all done. She leaned against the mattress, feeling the coolness and softness of the sheets on what skin was bare. It felt good.

"Sleep." He frowned, kissing her forehead. He was kicking himself now. He wished he could've gone back and brought her in two or three hours earlier... it could've been more beneficial for both of them.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Joseph heard his phone ring. Being the tech geek he was, he had separate ringtones for every person, and this was Rebecca's. He snatched up the phone in half of a second. It was a message, directly from her cell phone.

_I'm safe. I miss you guys._ He laughed weakly, nearly collapsing backwards onto the chair – he could _breathe._ She was alive, in the least. Even if Mr. Coen had kidnapped her, not allowed her to speak to anyone, he'd at least kept her alive... He felt as though his heart had been held in a tight grip for the last week, and now that he'd gotten a text directly from her, he could breathe. The single few moments of distraction that he'd gotten lately were when he'd been furious at Ashley, when he'd spoken to Steve about his night with Claire, and now.

He dialed her number, praying she'd answer. It went directly to her voice mail, meaning the phone had been turned off. His heart sank. What if he'd found her...and punished her for using the phone?

...he knew he had to tell the police, the news station, and more specifically and most importantly, Rebecca's mother.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

It was ten o' clock, three hours after Rebecca had gone to sleep. He'd refused to sleep at all, even though he knew his body sorely needed the rest and relaxation. He wanted to watch her, to make sure her fever went down. (It didn't. It was lingering and hardly lowering. It was starting to make him really nervous. He _couldn't _take her to the hospital.)

Billy was watching the news, wondering if they were still looking for Rebecca. He frowned softly when she was the top story.

"Breaking new developments in the case of the missing Raccoon City girl." It wasn't Ingrid Hunnigan, it was a new woman. They'd gotten too far away for them to get Hunnigan's broadcasts anymore. He didn't care enough to learn her name, he was too busy listening to her talk. "A close friend of her's has gotten a text message earlier today, around seven o' clock. Joseph Frost says she sent him a message saying she was, 'Safe and she missed them.' Them, the news station and Raccoon City Police Department, can only assume, meaning Rebecca's friends. Shortly after Joseph Frost received the text message, the missing girls' mother got a phone call."

Billy turned to look at the sleeping girl, eyes wide. When did she have time to work that through?

The news anchor continued. "Mrs. Chambers says she heard her daughter's voice. Rebecca told her mother that she was sick, that she wanted to come home, and that she promised her safety. The phone call was then cut short and the phone was turned off. We have been unable to reach the cell phone number."

Billy was shaking. He'd trusted to leave her home, and she'd called home. She'd risked their safety and called home to talk to her mother. He'd never been so angry and betrayed in his _life._ He growled. She was going to get a talking to once she was coherent, and boy, would it not be fun for her.


	35. Fever

Disclaimer: I do not own Resident Evil. Still.

Author's notes: ...EVERYTHING IS DYING ON ME. My monitor is on it's last leg. Hey, but Darkside Chronicles is coming out in sixteen days. I should have something up by the end of the month to Celebrate it. I am seriously so sorry for this having taken TWO WEEKS for me to update. This is like the second time in a row and I have to apologize. I've been sick lately. Headaches, generally not feeling well, tired, schoolwork, everything in between. I've been sick since Monday. Not allowed on the computer since then... anyways. I'm really sorry, I hope to update sooner, I really do, guys D: This is a short chapter, but it's up today! Please enjoy, review! Thanks for sticking around!

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Rebecca rolled over onto her side, her eyes half closed. She'd been awake half the night due to her coughing. She'd downed half the bottle of cough syrup, but that only helped a small degree. Her lungs were aching, and her chest and her abs from coughing. She was exhausted now, wanting nothing more than to sleep in her own bed.

Green eyes half opened, she stared blankly at the wall, her eyes out of focus. Her breathing was shallow due to her aching lungs. It hurt. It hurt to breath, to move. It just _hurt._

Billy, on the other hand, was sleeping soundly. (Sure, he'd been up until past midnight, trying to quell his anger at Rebecca, but she didn't now that.) He slept in the other bed, curled up under the blanket and hands slipped under the pillows.

She swallowed hard. Her throat was dry and raw. She groped blindly for the juice Billy had bought her, downing it in almost one gulp, It helped a little, but she was still highly uncomfortable. She groped for the thermometer next, wondering if her fever had gone down because of the asprin. She hoped so.

She turned it on, slipping it under her tongue and letting it rest. Silence until it beeped. With red LED numbers, it said 102.7.

She whimpered, leaning her head back. Her fever had hardly fluctuated.

"Billy..."

No reply.

"Billy..." She whimpered, louder this time. "Please, wake up."

A murmur from the older man and his eyes fluttered open. He blinked slowly, looking around the room for a moment.

"H-huh?"

"My fever isn't going down." She whimpered, feeling panic begin to spark in her chest. "It's still at 102, Billy." She whimpered again, staring at him. Her head was still swimming.

"Take some aspirin." The teacher rubbed his eyes, turning over. He wanted some more sleep.

"Billy, that won't work." She whined, rubbing her cheeks. They were hot to the touch, and her hands felt cool and clammy. "I wanna go to the doctor..."

"You don't need to go to the doctor." The man finally sat up with a frustrated sigh.

"Billy, please." She whimpered. "Please."

"Most normal girls don't beg to go to the doctor." He snapped, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

_I'm not normal._ She thought bitterly. _I'm dating an ex-marine teacher who _kidnapped _me. I'm miles away from home and I'm dying...I'm anything but normal at this point._

She fell silent, turning away from him. Maybe she would get better and she wouldn't need to go to the doctor. But...maybe she wouldn't. Maybe her fever would continue to rise. She knew that at 103 degrees, a fever became dangerous. She had less than half of a degree to go before she had to go to the doctor.

"W-why are you doing this, Billy? Wh-what'd I do wrong?" She whimpered softly. He hadn't been acting this way last night. Before she went to sleep, he had been willing to do anything for her.

"Because you texted Joseph Frost." His voice was a growl at this point. "And you called your mother."

"No I didn't." She answered quickly.

"Oh yes you did. Don't you dare lie to me, Rebecca."

She shrunk away. "...just one. It was just once, and..."

"And what? You feel that it's fine to jeopardize all that I've gone through for you because you decide you want to text your old friend?"

"Billy, I didn't...know what I was doing, I was feverish--"

"Bullshit!"

She whimpered, covering her ears with her palms.

"Bullshit and you know it, Rebecca." He growled. "You were all over the news because of that little stunt."

"I wanted them to know I was safe."

"I'm a wanted Criminal, Rebecca!" There was a laugh. Forced and hollow. "Do you want me to go to prison?"

"N-no, Billy." Her voice was shaking.

"I've thrown everything away for you. This is how you repay me? By jeopardizing everything that I've done for you?!"

"Billy, I..."

"So no. I will _not _take you to the doctor. I can't afford it. They'll recognize me and take me to Jail. Do you want to be stranded here, alone?"

"...no, Billy." She murmured softly, closing her eyes.

"Take some aspirin and take a nap. I'll get you a cold cloth for your head."

She whimpered, reaching for the pills. "...y-yessir."

Rebecca fell asleep quickly due to all of the medication in her system and the fever. Billy gathered up their suitcases, packing them in the car. He was careful to avoid getting seen. He knew he had to either cut or shave his head, and that was something he wasn't willing to do.

...but if he could get Rebecca's hair dyed while she slept, it might be easier for them not to be spotted. He smirked to himself.

He threw the suitcases in the trunk, making sure there was room in the backseat for Rebecca. They'd been there for almost two days, and he knew they needed to get out. If she liked it or not, they were leaving.

He had to get to another hotel, at the very least. He was planning on driving until they got to the next town. ...God, he knew she'd be pissed. But he also knew they had to get going, if he wanted to make sure they didn't get caught. That was his top priority right now.

After he gathered everything he could in the trunk of the car, he moved to Rebecca. He wrapped her gently in the blanket she was sleeping under, pulling him close to his chest. Her head lolled from side to side. She curled against him with a soft whine.

He couldn't help but smile. There was the girl he'd fallen in love with – messy dirty blonde hair, closed eyes, looking just as delicate as a porcelain doll. She was so tiny and so delicate... he felt a pang of guilt for dragging her out here. He could've just accepted his fate... but damn, he loved her so much...

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

There was a scream from the bathroom. Steve was on his feet, stumbling towards the bathroom. Claire had dissappeared in there a couple of minutes ago. He assumed it was a spider – she always screamed when she saw a spider.

There was sobbing from the other side of the door, choked whimpers and whines.

"Claire!?" He banged on the door. Jill was standing behind him with a frown. The girls hadn't been talking since Jill had made her take a pregnancy test. (It felt a lot longer than it actually was.)

"Claire, are you okay?" Jill asked, her voice much more stable than Steve's.

"O-oh, god." Came Claire's wavering voice from the other side of the door. She was still crying. "...I..."

"W-what, Claire!?" Steve banged on the door. "Are you okay?!"

"...I..." She took in a deep breath, hoping to calm herself down. "...I'm...f-fine." Still cracking, wavering.

"What's going on?" Jill asked. She was still calmer than either Steve or Claire.

"...I...am...not pregnant." She spoke slowly, trying to pronounce her words carefully. She wanted to make sure the other two heard. "I'm not pregnant." She spoke slowly.

"How do you know!?" Jill stared hard at the door.

"...g-got my period. You must've misread the test, Jill." She whimpered, rubbing her eyes. "...I'm not pregnant."


	36. Actuality

Disclaimer: Resident Evil still doesn't belong to me and (damn) I'm still not making any money on this story. Wouldn't that be badass?

Author's notes: Trying to get back in the habit of a chapter or more a week. I'm like a month behind so I'm trying to get two a week up,but it's not working. I tried, guys. I have them written, but I just haven't had much of a concept of time. I've had a bad week or so. But I won't go into that. Right now it's almost half an hour past my bedtime. I should be in bed, but I promised myself that I'd get this up before I went to bed to make you guys happy. Hope you enjoy the chapter, don't forget that I love LONG reviews. (Don't be afraid to criticize me!) Suggestions are always great. - like Joseph needs a girlfriend. I'm leaning towards either Lisa Trevor or Manuela from the upcoming Darkside Chronicles game. Let me know who you guys would like to see Joseph with – or, even better, if you guys have a better idea for who he should date. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

WARNING: Alfred and Alexia, putting the WIN in tWINcest since 1971. (That's right, there is some incest going on. So don't read if you're going to get offended,)

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"Can you believe her? I'd never date a man that much older than me." Alexia took the curling iron, twisting her honey colored hair around the barrel She wore nothing but a lavender towel wrapped gently around her small frame. Even though Alfred was in the room, she felt no need to cover up.

That was a perk of having Alfred be more than just her brother. She was entirely comfortable around him. She could walk around nearly naked without being the slightest bit self conscious, and she loved it.

Since the twins had grown up together, (naturally) Alexia knew everything about Alfred. His favorite color was blue, and because of this, he wore a blue sapphire ring on his left hand. He had a collection of tanks and gun models. He was heavily into World War II, Germany mostly. He read and spent some of his free time watching TV – usually the history channel.

"Yeah." Alfred greed, glancing up to her. He didn't even hardly care, or notice the fact that she was naked.

Alexia was working on her makeup now, taking an eyelash curler to her delicate lashes. Her twin watched her with deep admiration. Everything she did, every little movement – no matter how tiny and insignificant – was perfect and filled with grace.

She pursed her lips, applying a thin coat of shimmery lipstick. Her blue eyes watched Alfred via her vanity mirror. He looked away, near embarrassed at the fact that he'd near been staring at her.

"So which movie are we going to see, Alfred?"

The blonde boy gave a soft smile. "Whatever you want to see, Alexia."

"Yeah? Well, in that case, there as a documentary on some of the insects that inhabit the Amazon...you know, mating habits, different species, what they do to balance the ecosystem..." She smiled. "It seems really interesting, so I wanted to see it."

"Really." He didn't seem too excited. Bugs weren't his thing, they were Alexia's. He didn't have any problem with documentaries, considering that Alexia watched them all the time, but he didn't like bugs. Most of the documentaries that Alexia watched containing what the boy saw nothing more than pests usually were disturbing; He once remembered a praying mantis ripping off the head of it's mate and sucking it's brain's out through it's neck. Like something out of a horror movie, it had made him shudder and turn away from the screen.

Honestly, Alfred would have rather seen an action movie, or anything pertaining to World War II. There were always an abundance of those – movies like The Plot To Kill Hitler or something less realistic but not any less interesting, The Werewolf Women of the USSR. Either way, a movie like that seemed a lot more interesting and easier to stomach than watching close-up angles of bugs.

But, he knew not to argue with her. Alexia got what she wanted, and (admittedly partially his fault) she was a bit spoiled. As a Heiress to a multi-million dollar pharmaceutical company, she naturally got what she wanted.

"You don't want to see it?" He could hear the disappointment in her voice and it practically made him cringe.

"...it'll be fine, Alexia. Don't worry about it." He couldn't ever bring himself to say 'no' to her.

The girl gave a smile; bright, white teeth flashing before she turned. She dropped the towel and it hit the floor in a heap.

_God. _Alfred thought, unable to take her eyes off of her. _Her skin is beautiful._ Pale, smooth like one of her tiny porcelain dolls that she collected. The only blemish she had on her entire body was a mole – no, a beauty mark – located just above her right hip. He loved it even though she didn't. (She thought it ruined her complexion, despite the fact that Alfred argued with her every time she brought it up.)

Alexia dressed herself in something simple to wear on their date; a silky, short sleeved blouse and black jeans with patented leather flats. (Alfred felt under dressed to her, as always, He simply wore a t-shirt and jeans.)

She shook her fingers through her loosely curled hair. "Shall we go?"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Jill held out a small round package of pills. Claire blinked, looking up from her homework. She'd been neglecting it for the last few days – the pregnancy scare had taken a lot out of her. Between the car wreck, being in the hospital, Rebecca missing, and then the possibility that she might have been pregnant, she hadn't gotten anything done.

"What's this?"  
"Birth control. You're going to start tonight."  
"But, I'm not pregnant, so what's the point?"

"Are you and Steve not going to have sex anymore?"

She fell silent, taking them. "...thanks, Jill."

"You'll have to be on them for a month before you won't be able to get pregnant. You'll have to take them at the same time every night, too."

She smiled weakly. She didn't want to, but she wasn't even risking getting pregnant. "Thanks."

"Until then, You'll use these." she held out a box of condoms, making the younger girl fluster. "...w-what?"

"These are for Steve. Until it's been a month on the birth control. Or during. I'm not picky. Chris and I use both."

She blushed deeper, looking away. She hated hearing about her brother in bed. Really, it wasn't a turn on at all. "Thanks." She murmured again, reading over the package. _Ribbed for her pleasure. _She shook her head, setting the box down.

"...so what was he like?" Jill gave a soft smile, taking a seat next to Claire at the dining room table. They hadn't had a chance to talk about Claire's first time yet.

Claire couldn't suppress a smile. "It...hurt a little bit, but he said that's normal."

She nodded. "It is. What else?"

"Well, I was on my back," She felt her face get hot. "And he was on top of me... and he kept kissing me and stuff."

She nodded. "Did he make you orgasm?"

Claire frowned softly. She wasn't sure. What was that supposed to feel like. "...I don't know."

"...that means no."

"Why not? What if I did?"

"Oh, trust me, Claire. You'd know." Jill gave a soft smile, leaning against the table. "It'll build up and then you'll feel it. It's...pretty much the best thing in the world."

Claire smiled softly. She'd have to ask Steve for one...

Claire sat on her bed, biting her lip gently. She picked up the phone, leaning back on her pillows. Steve was on speed-dial, number three. The first two were Chris's and Jill's cell phones, respectively.

She hit the number, listening to it ring. Steve picked up on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Steve." Claire gave a soft, shy smile. Whatever happened in the day was easily forgotten when she heard Steve's voice on the other side of the phone. It made every worry fade away and left her feeling whole, warm, and loved.

"Hey." He smiled. "What's up?"

She smiled weakly, scratching the back of her head. "Well, I just started my new birth control regimen." She twirled her hair around her finger. "..and Jill got me a box of condoms."

Steve couldn't help a weak laugh. "Yeah?"  
"Yeah... They're apparently ribbed for my pleasure."

"...I would've kind of liked to have a kid, Claire."

Claire frowned softly. "So soon? In the middle of high school?"

"Well, maybe not.. but I mean... I want to have a baby with you, Claire."

She couldn't help but smile inwardly. "Yeah?"

"Yeah... when we get older, maybe after college..."

The girl couldn't help but smile. She loved kids. She always took on the role of the big sister when she was around people younger than her. When she was a child, she was always taking care of all the other kids on the block. "That'd be great."

Steve grinned. "I'm glad you agree with me."

"Of course. I love you. I'd love to carry your child." She paused. "...when we're older."

Steve laughed. "Of course, when we're older..."


	37. Commitment

Disclaimer: ...yeah, so totally still not mine.

Author's notes: Alfie has proven to me that I shouldn't write at two in the morning. Very important words get taken out my train of thought. Either way, here's some SherryxBrad and some more Billy and Rebecca. It's either too late or too early to post this chapter. Let me know what you guys are wanting to see. I'll let you know when I can work a lemon back into the storyline, if you guys are interested. So... happy weekend! Hope yours was awesome. (Remember, two days until Darkside Chronicles!) Uh, enjoy the chapter, don't forget to send me some long reviews to help me better improve my writing. (I'm still getting some three, four and five word reviews.) Uh, really glad to have managed to weave everyone back into the plot, including Alfred and Alexia and Brad and Sherry. Please enjoy! Read and review!

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Rebecca was curled up in the back seat of Billy's car. She wasn't conscious. She'd been sleeping since Billy bundled her up in the blankets and slipped her into the car that morning. Her hands rested gently on the seat, breathing evenly and slowly.

Billy could hardly keep his eyes off of her. He kept looking at her in the rear view mirror and glancing over his shoulder to watch the sleeping girl. She really was beautiful, and he'd almost forgotten it.

Sixteen years old and on the run from the cops...because of him. He knew she should've been at home, doing homework, studying for a test, volunteering at the hospital, hanging out with Joseph or Brad or Steve. Instead, she was unconscious on his back seat. ..._damn._ He flicked on the radio, not wanting to listen to himself think anymore.

Rebecca was awoken by the voices from the radio. It was tuned to the news station that both Rebecca and Billy had come to know as the norm. (She missed music. She used to listen to it all the time, but she hadn't so much as heard a song in the last week or so.)

"Authorities are still searching for the missing Raccoon City girl – Rebecca Chambers."

Rebecca stayed silent, listening. They always seemed to be talking about her.

"Rebecca's mother has released another statement on the safety of her daughter."

Her mother's familiar voice filled the car. Her eyes were half closed as she listened.

"There will be a ten thousand dollar reward for the return of my daughter. Please, Billy Coen, bring my daughter home safely. Her family misses her. Her friends miss her.... we just want her home." She heard her crack. A sharp inhale and the tears started.

Rebecca pressed her hands against her ears to block out the noise. It broke her heart. Her mother was crying because of her. She didn't even want to think about how her friends were dealing with fact that she wasn't there.

She was sure Brad was most upset. He was always so soft-hearted and gentle. Sympathetic, sweet. He worried. He worried a lot, to the point of where he could exhaust himself...

"Any tips should be directed to the Raccoon City Police Department. They're offering two hundred dollars for any tips leading to the safe return of Rebecca or leads to the man they believe is responsible – Billy Coen."

Rebecca fell silent as they read off the numbers to call for information and another short description of both herself and Billy...

She finally spoke. "Billy?"

"Oh, you're awake?" Dark eyes glanced back to her. "How're you feeling?"

"Where are we?"

"On the highway."

She fell silent. She needed to get home, but she knew asking him was a bad move. She was still being punished for calling her mother and speaking to Joseph. She knew Billy wouldn't just let her go.

"Can we stop somewhere?" She whimpered, hardly lifting her heavy head from the seat. "Im getting car sick. Can we get stop so I can get a cola for my tummy?"

A soft smile graced Billy's lips. Such a cute kid. "...yeah. I'll see what I can do. Okay, Princess?" He glanced back to her. Her eyes didn't meet his and she had to suppress a shudder. 'Princess' had started out being such a cute name. Now it made her feel sick.

The man began looking for a gas station, or a restaurant. Just some coke, maybe some dry crackers or something to settle her 'tummy' and they'd be on their way again.

After what seemed like hours of driving, Billy pulled over at a gas station. Rebecca's heart was thumping in her chest, hard. She'd rehearsed the plan in her head two dozen times since she'd asked him to pull over.

_Jump out of the car. Make a run for the convenience store. Run inside and yell and make as much noise as possible – they're sure to notice with all of the reports on the radio and television. Then there will be a cop car standing by to take me home. I'll be able to see Mom and Joseph, Brad, Steve... the school, go back to the hospital... _She thought, readying herself to jump out of the car. She was barefoot. She hoped there wasn't any glass or sharp rocks in the parking lot. They'd cut her feet to shit.

She watched Billy. He stepped out of the car, moving to the pump. She guessed he didn't want to stop again later for gas. His back was turned.

She kicked the door open, feeling her ankle pop. A slight pain but she was on her feet. Dizzy, seeing white and red. She stumbled forward, pressing on. Twenty feet to the gas station. She could taste it, she could make it.

Rough hands grabbing her from behind. The hard metal of the car. She felt the trunk bend slightly under her as her head cracked against the side of the car. Everything went black.

Billy stared at her in disbelief. After everything he'd done for her, she'd tried to run?

He shook his head, bundling his fingers into her pajamas. He pulled her up, feeling and hearing the seams pop under her weight. He practically threw her in the backseat.

"Rebecca, don't make me watch you more carefully..."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

He hadn't eaten. Hardly slept. He was dehydrated, cranky. Worried sick.

Sherry was even beginning to worry. Not about Rebecca so much as Brad at this point. He'd fallen into a deep depression within the last couple of days. He hardly would come out of their now shared room.

Currently she sat beside Brad, stroking his hand ever so gently. "Mom's making chicken pot pie for dinner. You like that, don't you?"

There was a shrug. "M'not very hungry."

Sherry whimpered softly. "You haven't eaten in two days, Brad." Her voice wavered.

"I know." His voice was flat, practically emotionless. It wasn't like him.

"...it wasn't your fault. Brad...please..." She squeezed his hand gently within both of hers. "Why won't you understand that?"

There was no reply.

"Brad. It wasn't your fault."

"If I had just..."

"No. No more 'If I had just.' No more, 'If it weren't for me.' If I hear one more, 'It's all my fault' I'm going to snap." She swallowed hard. "Brad, you can't just sulk like this until she gets brought home."

"...what if she doesn't?"

"...Brad..." She was shaking. She was angry and tired. She didn't want to deal with anymore of his self-pity. "She will. Please. Chicken pot pie for dinner, please eat."

Brad shook his head, staring up at the ceiling. "M'not hungry."

Sherry was silent for a few moments. Her mother and her had discussed putting Brad in the asylum for a three day mental evaluation. "...if you don't, Mom's going to lock you away." She whispered.

"...w-what?"

"She'll lock you away. In the hospital. For three days for one of those evaluations. So you've gotta eat or you'll be without me for three days." It was more of an empty threat, a bluff. She didn't actually want to put him away. She just... wanted him to perk up. To eat some dinner, to get a good night's sleep. She knew Rebecca would be upset, knowing that Brad was this torn up over her... She knew it would sound rough to anyone who was looking in on her, but she was at the end of her rope.

"...c-chicken pot pie, huh?" He gave a weak smile after just a few moments of silence. "...that doesn't sound so bad." He gave a weak smile, squeezing his girlfriend's hand back. "I guess I could eat a little. I'm sorta hungry." Another weak smile, this one a little more genuine than the first.

Three full plates of Annette's chicken pot pie, Brad decided he was full. He seemed to be in a better mood almost instantly. He was smiling softly every now and then, joining in on the conversation going on around him.

Sherry knew it was an improvement. Honestly, she was a little embarrassed having pulled out the 'commitment' card. But she knew it helped...

Annette placed a kiss on Brad's forehead gently as she stood to clear the table of the dishes.

"Glad to have you back, Bradley."


	38. Pain

Disclaimer; Resident Evil still doesn't belong to me. Damn shame.

Author's notes: dkfakfdsfj Omg. Darkside Chronicles is amazing. As a StevexClaire fangirl, I'm honestly a little disappointed. But otherwise, the game was beyond awesome. Check it out if you guys can. Joseph's new girlfriend is a secret until she debuts in a few chapters! MOAR TWINCEST. Tried to make this chapter a little on the longer side. This is a little depressing, it hurt a little to write... Anyways, please read and review, I hope you guys enjoy!

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"Bradley?" Annette Birkin stuck her head into Brad and Sherry's room. Sherry was doing homework on her bed, laying on her stomach and swinging her feet back and fourth. It helped her concentrate. Brad was on the floor, sitting in the middle of a mass of paper and schoolbooks.

The boy looked up from his homework, the back end of the pen dangling from his mouth. "Yes?"

"I got something for you," Annette held out a blue package. It was thin and rectangular, made of plastic with those prescription labels stuck on the top and rounded sides. He'd seen his mother with packages of them, but she never seemed to take any of the pills.

"What is it?" He asked, reaching over to take it from her.

"It's a prescription of anti-depressants. For you, of course. I thought they might help with your depression, with what's been going on lately. Will you try them for a month and see if you improve?"

Sherry looked up, setting her pencil down on her schoolwork.

"Yeah... I'll give them a shot." He gave a somewhat forced smile. He wondered if they would really help. The pills his mother took never seemed to help – they only made her mood swings worse. "...thanks, Annette."

"Of course." There was a soft smile. "Dinner will be ready soon. We're having stew tonight."

"Thanks, Mommy!" Sherry smiled.

"Thank you, Annette." Brad murmured, turning the package over in his hands. He read over the label before laying it gently down. He went back to work.

There was silence for a long while, only broken by the occasional mumble from Sherry as she made a mistake, taking her eraser to the paper to fix it.

Brad spoke first, putting his pen down. "Sherry? D...Do you think she'll be h-home soon?" He asked, his voice hardly pushed above a whisper and quivering. He was afraid of the answer.

"Of course she will." Sherry answered, hardly looking up from her homework. Her voice was so positive, practically bouncy that it almost made Brad believe her. "She'll be home safe and sound within the end of the week."

"It's...j-just that she's been gone s-s-so long, and I'm just...r-r-really worried, what if something..."

She looked up now. "Brad, she'll be fine."

The boy swallowed hard and forced a nod. "...alright. She'll be home soon."

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Alexia curled against her brother, fingers drumming lightly against his bare chest. The blanket covered the both of them. She gave a soft, contented sigh accompanied with a smile. This was one of her favorite things to do – cuddle after sex. She loved being this close to Alfred, feeling his rough skin on her softer skin, feeling his heartbeat, his hot breath on her neck, his warmth...

Her skin was glistening with a thin layer of sweat and that smile was fixed on her lips. He loved it. Loved how beautiful she looked, how positively happy it made her when they cuddled. He loved her.

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The phone rang, and Claire was the first to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Beautiful."  
She smiled. "Hey, what's up?"

"Not too much. Missing you, babe."

Clarie smiled still. They'd seen each other earlier at school. He'd gotten so clingy lately. Normally she wouldn't mind, but...

"Yeah, I miss you too, Steve." She twisted the ends of her hair around her fingers, realizing she needed a haircut.

"You wanna go somewhere tonight?" He smiled. "That new zombie movie is out. It's got that female lead and she's totally kick-ass."

"Oh, uh, actually...Steve, my head sorta hurts and I don't feel too great. Mind if I stay in tonight?" She bit her lip. She just really didn't want to go anywhere, at least, not with Steve. She needed a break from him.

"Oh... uh, alright." He sounded disappointed. "Yeah...sure, I guess. I'll...let you go then." He hung up before Claire had the chance to protest or even say goodbye. She sighed, hanging up her side of the line with a shake of her head.

She sighed. She needed the night to herself. A night to relax, to do her hair and paint her toenails, take a hot bubble bath and just relax.

Claire was readying herself for her bath, grabbing her robe and a handful of scented candles she had taken from Jill's and Chris's room, and the phone rang. She frowned softly, moving over to pick it up.

"Steve, I told you I didn't want to hang out tonight."

"...Claire?"

She frowned, realizing it was Leon on the other end of the phone. They hadn't talked in forever. "Yeah... what's going on?"

"...yeah, I know this is sorta weird. But I figured maybe you'd like to go out to dinner?"

Claire was silent for a minute. It'd be like old times sake. Leon could take her out to dinner – a fancy restaurant, probably. She could eat, and they could talk.. "...yeah." She murmured. "Yeah, I think that sounds...nice. I think I'll go."  
Leon gave a grin. "Cool. I'll pick you up in an hour." He hung up.

Claire blinked hard. ...had she just accepted to go on a date with Leon, her ex-boyfriend? She sighed, moving to her closet to get dressed.

Leon took her to dinner – a nice place, but not anything too fancy. It was a Thai place. She'd never had Thai before. She looked around, feeling a little less than comfortable in the restaurant. The tables were lit with candles, casting a soft glow across Leon's face.

Damn, he was looking good. It probably didn't help that his t-shirt clung to his muscles. That was something Steve lacked - muscles.

"S-so," She cleared her throat, brushing her hair behind her ear. "What's good?"

"The red curry." He smiled. "It's spicy, but it's also sweet because of this coconut milk they use in it."

Claire nodded, flipping through the menu. Everything else seemed unfamiliar, so she decided to stick with the red curry.

"How've you been, Claire?"

"It's been rough lately... you know, I got in a car wreck... I was in the hospital, that wasn't fun... right after that, Rebecca went missing." She gave a forced smile. It'd been a rough past few weeks. She didn't even want to think about it anymore. "But.. I'm doing a little bit better. You look well, how have you been?" She asked, looking to her cola.

"I've been doing well.. you know," He gave a grin. "We're having a great season in football."

She nodded, but she didn't know. She hadn't been following football or even attending the games since her and Leon had broken up months ago. There was no real reason to follow the games anymore...

"Yeah? I'm glad." She smiled softly, looking up to him. She didn't even know why she was here. She didn't like Leon. She could hardly stand him. Where did she get the idea that this would even be 'fun'? She silently wished she'd taken Steve's offer to go see that movie. It would've been so much better, to sit and hold hands with him in the dark, to be with someone that she actually loved. But instead, she'd decided to skip out on him and go with her ex-boyfriend. Her ex-boyfriend who_ cheated _on her with one of her friends....

"...Leon?"

"Yeah?"

"...this doesn't feel right. Can... we leave?" She asked, voice hardly above a whisper. She didn't want to upset him.

"...yeah, thank god." He laughed weakly. "I was hoping this wouldn't be this awkward." He pulled money out to pay for their drinks, standing. "Lets get out of here."

Claire smiled softly, standing. "Thanks, Leon."

"I'll drop you back off at your house."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Steve browsed the comics section at the bookstore. He was looking for something to read for the night, since he was stuck inside. He picked a graphic novel up, turning it over in his hands. It was something about vampires, so he rolled his eyes and put it back. There were too many vampires in the media lately, he didn't want to read about them anymore...

He picked one up about zombies. They were _much _cooler than vampires. They didn't explode (or god forbid, sparkle) when exposed to sunlight. They ate the flesh and blood of living creatures which was pretty awesome in itself. He decided on the zombie graphic novel after leafing through the pages. Black and white gore. Awesome.

He checked out, paying for his comic book. He shoved his hands in his pockets. The air was starting to get cold, meaning he'd have to dust off his jacket in time for fall and winter. He didn't particularly like wearing a jacket...

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a pair of familiar voices exiting the restaurant to his right. He frowned, looking up.

Claire and Leon, laughing and talking. They were together. He felt the bottom of his stomach drop and he felt as though his heart had been stepped on. God, it hurt.

"Remember that time that you were practicing with your BB gun and you slipped and lodged the metal in your hand?" Claire laughed.

Leon laughed, but he didn't seem as enthusiastic as Claire. "Yeah... haha, that was _hilarious._" There was a slight hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Steve began walking faster, wanting to get away. He couldn't believe Claire had ditched him for her ex-boyfriend... not after everything he'd stuck by her side for....


	39. Liberation

Disclaimer: Resident Evil still doesn't belong to me.

Author's notes: So hey... This story is ONLY to be posted on Deviantart (under Half-A-Heart) and on , posted under this screen name unless I state later, okay? Let me know if there's a copy of it anywhere. I stumbled across a bunch of fanfictions with the same name and it made me very very nervous. I mean, what if someone tried to steal this and pass it off as their own? My god that's a scary thought. So ANYWAYS. I digress. I'm so so so so so SO sorry for not posting this for three. Goddamn. Weeks. Depression, no time, finals week. That and this severe addiction to twitter. -_-; I'm totally addicted to parenthesis at this point (and I don't know why. Didn't I used to like use other stuff? Ah well, I tend to go off on little Tangents and whatnot, but whatever.) I should probally be doing homework since it is finals week, but I just needed to get this up SO BADLY that I am actually forgoing doing homework on finals week JUST for you guys. That's how much I love you. Either way, please read, enjoy, and review RCHS. Keep the long reviews coming guys, they make me happy in my pants.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

When she came to her senses, it was dark. She was tucked ever so gently into a bed. Her clothes were changed into another set of pajamas. Her head was killing her, probably from when Billy had slammed her into the car earlier. (that day? Two days ago? How long had she been out for?)

There was water running from the bathroom. The shower water hit the tiles. She half listened, trying to get her eyes to focus. There was a throbbing ache that seemed to rip through her head with every heartbeat. It hurt, made her vision splinter and made the world spin.

She looked around, moving to sit up. A quick glance to the bathroom told her that Billy wasn't expecting her to wake up so soon. The door was shut. She looked to the front door. She could be out the door in two minutes. Five minutes and she could be banging on doors. Then in a few hours she could be home... right?

She stumbled to her feet, nearly falling to the ground. She saw white for a moment, but she pressed forward. She had to get out of here while she had the time. She couldn't take another day with this sadistic sonuvabitch. Not with his constantly changing moods... one moment throwing her so hard into a_ fucking car_, only to gently change her clothes and tuck her into bed? Not spending another second with him.

She couldn't even see, groping blindly for the doorknob. Fingers touched cold metal and she pulled it open. She stumbled out onto the patio of the hotel room, looking around. Dark. She glanced left and right, trying to decide which way to go.

She decided in a split second, turning to the left and running. Her bare feet were scraping against the concrete, but she ignored it. Her head was throbbing, still half-blinded.

Rebecca saw someone. A larger man wearing what seemed to be like a red flannel shirt and jeans.

"H-help!"

He looked up, holding his hotel room keys in his closed hand. He said nothing, just sort of stared at her. It was probably strange, a young girl crying for help and stumbling forward in bare feet and pajamas, but she didn't care. She just wanted to get home.  
"Help. P-please. Help." She stumbled to his side. "...I'm...R-Re-Rebecca Chambers." She whimpered, gasping for breath. She grasped onto his shirt. "P-please help me..."

"Oh! Oh, you're the little girl that went missing!" The man's fingers unlocked his hotel room door and pushed it open. "Lets get you inside. I'll call the cops."

Rebecca was sitting in a police station less than an hour later, half-listening to a news broadcast.

"The missing girl from Raccoon City has been identified and taken into police custody. Rebecca Chambers was found by a retired police officer from the Raccoon City Area, Barry Burton."

_That's his name..._ she thought numbly. _Barry Burton... what a nice guy._ She gave a weak smile. He'd taken her into his hotel room, given her a cup of coffee, just let her be alone until the cops came out.

"The suspect has been arrested and taken into custody. Billy Coen, an ex-marine and now ex-teacher at Raccoon City High School is now behind bars."

_...he's behind bars..._ she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. She glanced around, eyes half open. She just wanted to go home.

"Rebecca Chambers will be taken back to her family and friends by the end of the day. She's currently being observed by the police. She was discovered nearly ten thousand miles away from her home..."

She stopped listening, finally paying attention to everything around her. She pulled the blanket the police had draped around her shoulders closer. She felt tears spark behind her eyes and she didn't do anything to stop them.

She could've been killed. He could've beat the shit out of her more than he already had. She didn't even want to _think _about what he was planning on doing if he ever got his hands on her again.

She was crying, nearly doubled over with her slightly bruised face hidden in her hands. Sobs wracked her body, making her shoulders tense. She sucked in greedy breaths between sobs. She just didn't care.

She was just so _happy_ to get out that words couldn't describe it... she couldn't wait to get home, hug her mother, and apologize... hug Joseph, and Brad and Steve... and punch Ashley in the face. Despite everything else that had gone on, she hadn't forgotten that little publicity stunt.

They put her in the hospital. Told her that between the concussion (that, she learned, had been caused when Billy had thrown her against the car. That's why she was so dizzy and couldn't hardly seem to focus.) and the illness that they needed to watch her. Three days in the hospital. Another three long days confined to a bed.

She was silent as they ran all of their tests, including drawing blood. She took notice when they weighed her. Before Billy's little 'adventure', she weighed 98 pounds. She was down eight pounds, making her only weigh 89. Between the not eating and the severe amount of stress she'd been through, she honestly wasn't surprised.

Her first guest was, naturally, her mother.

Mrs. Chambers was in the room literally moments after Rebecca had been tucked into bed. There were several IVS hooked up to her arms and a heart monitor clipped to her tiny fingertip. She was dressed in one of those papery gowns that she _hated_. It was almost embarrassing, but she honestly didn't care.

She stayed with her for a few hours, until Rebecca insisted that she go home and get some rest. She'd lost weight too. There were dark circles under her eyes and it looked like she hadn't slept, eaten or showered in a few days.

Honestly, it broke the girl's heart. If she had realized how much stress and _pain_ she'd put everyone through, she would've never _even _slept with the teacher, much less ran away with . There was a practical nation-wide search for her and all of her friends must've been going crazy with worry. Especially Brad, and she still knew that for a fact....

Joseph showed up shortly after he left, carrying some chocolates. (He knew how much she liked sweets and he wanted to make her feel at home.) He gave a grin when he saw her safe and sound (minus the bruises and cuts and whatnot. He noted her eyes seemed bloodshot.) and handed her the box of chocolates.

"I got you this." He smiled softly.

"Thanks..." She found she had a little trouble grasping the box. Her hands were swollen from the nurse poking her several times with the IV before getting it placed right. (Rebecca had complained loudly during that, simply because she knew she could do a better job. She'd practiced on oranges and grapefruits to the point where she could get the IV in on the second try with almost no problem.)

She set it in her lap, glancing to him as she opened it. She hesitated, looking over them before picking up a square one covered in what looked like caramel. She popped it into her mouth, savoring the taste. She hadn't had anything tasty in the last few weeks, and she knew the next few days wouldn't make that time any shorter. Hospital food sucked ass.

"You want one?"

"Nah, you eat them all. You deserve it."

There was silence as Rebecca picked out another piece of chocolate, this one with raspberry crème filling. She smiled softly to herself. It was so thoughtful.

"...thanks for helping them get me home."

"But I didn't...do anything."

She gave a soft smile. "You got me on the news. Everyone was looking for me, and that's how I got out..."

Joseph pulled his chair closer to the bed with a soft smile. "...I wasn't just going to let you get away from me. I'm sorry I couldn't get you home before he hurt you." eyes traveled over her bruised body. They were everywhere – on her arms from where he grabbed her, her neck and head where she'd been thrown against the vehicle and whatnot.

She smiled softly. "Thanks...you really saved me. He could've..." She trailed off, not even wanting to think what he could've done again. She shuddered, glancing away and closing up the chocolate. She licked her fingers where the candy had melted. All she wanted to do was shovel down the entire box and wash it down with a two liter of soda. She missed junk food.

The pair talked for a while until an older nurse with grey hair and stains on her uniform came into the room. She was heavyset and Rebecca didn't recognize her.

"Visitin' hours are over, sweetheart. Time to go."

Joseph apologized, gathering his things and standing. "I'll drop by tomorrow, okay?"

She smiled, giving a nod. She hadn't been able to look forward to anything in a while, so being able to count on seeing Joseph (and Brad, Steve and his girlfriend... everyone from school, basically) made her feel hopeful.. A light at the end of the dark tunnel that Billy had created.


	40. Her Story

Disclaimer: Resident Evil does not belong to me. None of the characters in this story belong to me. Resident Evil and all respective characters belong to Capcom.

Author's notes: ...Hey, guys. And happy Merry Christmas, Late Hanukkah (is that the right spelling?) and happy Kwanzaa. Whatever you celebrate, have a great one. 3~ Here's your present (late?) from me to you, Raccoon City High filled with drama, drama with a side of drama. Just what you want, eh? Whoever spots the Silent Hill easter egg (lolol Sheva, it's your fault) gets a cookie. Okay, so I realized while quickly glancing at one of the chapters in RCHS on that there's...this strange sort-of... I dunno, it's centered. I don't want it to be centered. Is it that way for you guys, or is it just the way that my computer has set? Let me know.

Characters I want to introduce: Sheva Alomar

Characters I want to see more of: Jack Krasuer, Luis Sera, Albert Wesker.

Please let me know if you agree, disagree, who you'd like to see, occupation, why, what they'd be doing, etc. I'm a little anxious to get all four of these shown up (more than they already are.) and I want your input. Let me know what you think.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Claire clutched her tray of food – pepperoni pizza, a bag of cheese flavored chips, some kind of individually wrapped chocolate snack cake, and a cola. She was lucky enough to be able to eat whatever she wanted, including meals like this daily, and still keep her 115 pound figure.

She popped open her bag of chips, reaching her slender fingers inside and taking a few sticks of fried ...whatever it was. She didn't question it as she popped it into her mouth, looking up to Steve.

The redheaded boy said nothing, simply staring down at his own lunch. It wasn't as greasy as his girlfriend's. Some nachos with some pale jalapeños scattered about the cheese and some root beer. He just couldn't eat pizza and chips every day for lunch, it made him feel sick to his stomach. Every once in a while he'd have a salad or soup or something healthier, but nothing they served at school was exactly 'healthy.' Hell, it was hardly considered food to begin with.

"So," Claire started, swallowing down a mouthful of her soda. "I was thinking about going to see that movie tonight. The one with the zombies and the female lead. Isn't she played by Ali Larter?"

No reply. Steve took a sip of his root beer.

"...right, anyways. So I was thinking we could go see that right after school, since I wasn't feeling well last night. Sound good?"

He picked up a chip, using it to rifle through the others. He dropped it back down, wiping his hands on a napkin laying on the table.

"...and then maybe you can come over to my place, I can cook dinner and we can do some homework?"

Still no reply. Not even a glance. The boy kept his eyes focused on his less than appetizing lunch.

"...We could go to Neely's anyways?" She smiled weakly. "I...know I'm not a very good cook."  
Nothing.

"...oh, and I was thinking I would have wild, naked sex with Leon and take pictures while you watch. How's that?"

Eyes snapped up now. They weren't the usual, calm, easy-going eyes Claire had come to know. They were angry. Almost as if a fire were burning behind them, fueling that anger.

"Really? Because you didn't fuck him last night?"  
Claire drew in a sharp breath. She hadn't ever heard him curse before. She leaned back in her seat, twisting her fingers together. "...what?" She managed to whisper after a moment of shocked silence.

"I saw you leaving that restaurant with him last night, Claire!" His voice was low and quivering. His eyes were focused on her midsection. "You were laughing, and smiling... you fucked him when you got home, didn't you?"

"...No! God no, Steve! Steve, you're the only one that I've ever slept with." She reached out to take his hands, two of her delicate ones cupping his bigger one. "Why...would I wanna cheat on you? With...my ex boyfriend?"

"I don't know either." He jerked his hand away, making Claire fall into the lunch table. "But I saw you leaving with him."

She'd never seen this way. It was...almost terrifying. Angry, shaking, upset. She hated it.

"Steve." She said softly, trying to regain her composure and stop the tears from flowing. "Steve, I gave you my virginity." Slowly but firmly. "I wouldn't sleep with anyone else while we were still together."  
"Well that's good, Claire. Because you know what?"

She swallowed hard, watching him gather all of his items, dumping his trash into the nearest trashcan.

"Because we're not together anymore."

He walked off, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

She couldn't hold herself together anymore.

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Joseph skipped out on his afternoon classes to check in on Rebecca, this time stopping for a burger to bring her for lunch. She needed to put some weight on. She had been tiny before she lost weight, and now her clothes didn't even fit right. Her extra small clothes swallowed her. It almost made Joseph sick... how could that Coen guy do that to her?

When he entered the room, the girl was listening to some music. Her headphones were plugged into her ears and the music was so loud that the boy could hear it from the door. He couldn't help a smile. She looked so much better. The color in her cheeks had returned, her eyes didn't have that constant 'deer in headlights' look to them, she'd gotten a shower so her hair and face was clean... she looked good. Even dressed in that paper thin nightgown, she was beautiful.

"Rebecca?"

She glanced up, yanking the headphones out as if expecting to see another nurse.

Joseph gave a grin. "Hey. You seem to be feeling better. I mean, you look fantastic."

Rebecca gave a smile. "Yeah. I feel a lot better." She glanced to the bag in his hands. She could smell the food from here. "...what's in the bag?"

The tekkie gave a grin. "Something for you. Lunch. A double cheese burger with bacon, hold the onions, a large side of onion rings, a cherry milk shake and an apple pie for dessert. We gotta get you fattened up." He smiled, holding out the bag.

The girl didn't hesitate, pulling out the food quickly. It honestly smelled fantastic – the best thing she'd been around for days, maybe even weeks. She couldn't remember.

"Thanks." She gave a grin after swallowing down a few huge bites of her hamburger. Joseph couldn't help an inward smile as he leaned against the back of the chair, arms crossed. In a matter of moments, she ate the entire burger and was left with nothing but the remnants of ketchup from her fingers, which she licked clean.

She paused, glancing up to him. She gave a sheepish grin. "...sorry, that probably wasn't very lady like, huh?"

"Oh, please. Like I care. I like a woman who can _eat._" The blonde gave a grin. "I hate women who order an expensive side salad with 'lo-cal' dressing on the side and pick at it for fifteen minutes." There was a laugh.

Rebecca smiled, moving to her shake as she sucked it down. Cherry. Her favorite flavor. It tasted almost as good as the chocolate he'd brought her the day before. Sweet and cool and fantastic. She picked up one of the onion rings, glancing up to Joseph.

He reached over and yanked one out from the plastic carton, and she let him. She still had an apple pie to eat and she was already beginning to feel full. She knew, as a nursing student, of course, that if you didn't eat for an extended period of time, your stomach shrank. She used to be able to put away all of this food with no problem, but she was feeling a little resistance...

"How's it taste?"

"Fantastic!" She smiled. "You saved me from eating that hospital food crap." She looked to the fattening, deep fried onion rings. This was so much better than that card board pizza, the cold pasta, watery soup, a stale sandwich, and if she was lucky, the highlight would be lime flavored Jell-O. Gross...

"Yeah?" Joseph laughed. "I'm glad. I'm glad to see you're in such high spirits, Becca."

Rebecca fell silent, staring at her food for a moment before glancing up to him. Her eyes were half closed.

"D-Don't call me that." She whispered after a moment of silence. "He...called me that, and...just please don't."  
Joseph frowned, giving a nod. "Yeah, sure. I'm sorry."

There was silence as Rebecca ate the rest of her lunch. She managed all of the onion rings and about half of the apple pie before she laid back with a sigh.

"...Rebecca?"

"Hm?" a soft sound was all she could muster now. She felt like she needed to sleep for a week after all of the fatty foods. She knew it wasn't good for her, but she just didn't give a damn right now.

"...what'd he do to you?"

She fell silent, feeling her breath hitch in her chest. She hadn't been looking forward to it. Did she tell the truth? Did she lie? Did she stretch the truth? What?

She opened her mouth and let the words spill out.

"I seeing Mr. Coen." She started, swallowing hard."...he was amazing. He was sweet...sweet, and he cared about me, he took care of me, he had a car, he could bring me to the beach, the expensive restaurants, he could buy me clothes... he was fantastic in bed." She whispered the last part. They'd only had sex a handful of times, but Billy had taken the time and dedication to make sure she'd reach orgasm each and every time. Sometimes, more than once.

She took a deep breath, trying to relax ever so slightly. "The night of that last dance that we all went to. Remember? I was with Brad and...and he saw the dog tags around my neck." She whispered, talking fast. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins and her heart was pounding. She was scared. Scared of what he might think, scared of getting Billy in more trouble, afraid of making herself seem like a whore, or loose, careless, _stupid_ even...

"He gave me the dog tags." Her hand went instinctively to her neck, fingers curling around the warm metal chain. She'd forgotten she even had them on. She swallowed hard. "...he gave me the dog tags, and I've been wearing them ever since. Because he wanted me to think about him all the time.... I should've realized then how possessive he was." She looked up to Joseph.

The boy sat with his hands folded, leaning towards the girl. He listened intently, those eyes never leaving her face. He didn't know what to say, so he simply stayed quiet.

"So...so we were dating, sleeping together, fooling around, whatever you want to call it. We were doing something illegal...but I liked it. I love him and it made me feel ...safe, warm, loved, wanted." She twisted her own fingers into her papery gown, trying to calm down.

She took a few deep breaths before continuing. "So...so we were on a date. At the zoo, Billy and I...and we kissed. Principal Wesker saw us. He acted like he didn't, but he saw us...so...the next morning, Billy says 'Lets run away together, Rebecca.' So he drives me to my house, I pack everything...including my cell phone." A weak, almost forced laugh. That cell phone had been more important than she would've ever guessed.

Joseph frowned, rubbing his temple gently. "Hm." He made a soft noise to let her know he was listening, but said nothing else.

"We were driving for a while. Right off of Raven's Gate Bridge I was home sick. It's like...no turning back now. And I already wanted to go home. You know... I'd never been away from home before. Then I was on the run with an escaped convict..." She glanced around the room, not wanting to look at Joseph. She was embarrassed. In all honesty, she hadn't been expecting telling her story so soon.

"...so, then we hang out in hotels. We sleep early, wake up early, watch some TV and bad movies at first... eat a lot of fast food...then I got sick."

"Sick?"

"Headache, dizzy...fever, can't sleep, coughing, sore throat, sore lungs...I don't even know anymore. It just kept getting worse and worse and worse. I couldn't see, I couldn't move. All I could do was take Tylenol and sleep, you know?"

A short nod from Joseph.

"So he starts getting abusive. Remember, I texted you? ...he hit me." It was a lie, but she continued with her story. "Then he put me in the back of the car. He might've tied me up, but I don't remember. I was so sick. Everything was so hot and uncomfortable..." Another lie. She didn't know if they were gonna stop. "...I woke up and we were driving. I begged him, pleaded for him to take me into a hotel. He let me rest for a few days and then we were off."

She looked up to him. Joseph was shaking. Anger? Fear? Maybe he was just that horrified? Sadness? What emotion was going through his skull?

"...So I had this plan. When we stopped for gas, I'd get out of the car and I'd run. Run inside the gas station. Get home. All I wanted was to come home, Joseph." A whimper.

He reached out, fingers wrapping around Rebecca's hand. He was still shaking, while she was tensed up.

"...so...so he caught me. I was about four steps away from the car and he grabbed my hair, threw me into the car as hard as he could and beat the shit out of me." She stretched the truth this time – only a half lie. He hadn't hit her afterwards. Well, not that she could remember...

"...god damn son of a bitch, I swear to god I'll kill him..." Joseph mumbled under his breath.

"....s-s-s-so I woke up god knows how many days later... I don't know how many days I was out. He hadn't been expecting, see, cause he was in the shower with the door shut...I knew I couldn't face him. And I knew I couldn't stay here any longer. I just wanted to go. Get home. Get back to being a normal teenage girl." Another soft whimper before she continued. "....I got out of bed. I couldn't see, my head was throbbing so badly, but I just ran. I ran and I found this nice older guy..."

Joseph gave a nod, listening still. He squeezed her hand gently.

"He was like forty. He had this red hair and a matching beard, and he was really nice. He had two daughters and a wife who fed me a little. Gave me some medicine. Called the cops...they were really nice. Barry Burton, was his name..." She nuzzled against the pillows, suddenly feeling like she could use a nap. "So they put me in the hospital...and here I am."


	41. Kisses

Disclaimer: ...no.

Author's notes: ...so Happy really late Valentines Day to those of you who celebrate it! (and happy late Chinese new year, too!) My last entry as a child – my 18th birthday is totally on Sunday. Yay! So to celebrate, here you guys get a REALLY LATE RCHS chapter. Crack pairings abound! Please enjoy. Reviews are very welcome. Uh, more to come soon, I hope. 3

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Ada slipped next to Claire as she was leaving the school. She gave one of her infamous smiles.

"So, Claire."

The girl turned her red, puffy eyes onto Ada. She'd been crying on and off the entire day, unable to stop herself. It hurt, being dumped like that – out of nowhere, even.

Another smile, but her face showed no other emotion. "...so you finally broke up with that loser." Before Claire had time to respond, Ada grabbed onto her shoulders and steered her off her path. She continued to speak, quietly and practically into her ear. "You know, I've got a friend who's really interested in maybe becoming your new boyfriend..." Another flash of that sly smile.

"...Ada, I do--"

"Shhh, shh. You don't need to thank me." A soft smile. She steered her around a corner and stopped abruptly. "Claire, this is Luis."

Claire looked the boy over. Luis Sera. An exchange student, and one of Leon's friends. They'd only met a few times, and she'd never really hung out with him. He leaned against the wall nonchalantly with a smoldering cigarette hanging from his lips. He looked up, flicking the cigarette to the ground and snuffing it with the heel of his pointed boot.

He exhaled, the smoke curling into the afternoon air as he gave a smile.

"Hola." He gave a toothy grin.

"...o-oh, I don't...Ada..." she turned to push past her. It had barely been hours that Steve had broken up with her, and she already had boys interested? She couldn't deal with this. She just wanted some rest, time alone to cry her eyes out and eat a few king sized chocolate bars.

Ada grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to face the Spaniard. Claire swallowed hard. Why was Ada doing this? To torture her more? To make her cry? ...Could she possibly feel bad?

Claire forced a smile, but looked away. Maybe, if she played nice, she would get to go home and eat chocolate until she couldn't move.

Claire took a deep breath and forced a soft, "Louis."

"No, no, senorita. It's Luissss." He smirked softly. He spoke with a heavy accent that made her nerves bristle.

"Luis." She repeated with another weak smile. "Right, um, well, Luis, I have to get going. You know, Loads of homework--" she went to turn back around but Ada forced her forward. She stumbled.

He smiled. "Claire, please give me a chance."

Claire glanced to Ada, who stood with her arms crossed, and back to Luis. She hesitated. "..maybe just coffee. I guess."

Luis smirked, silently celebrating. "Tonight?"

Claire paused again before giving a sigh. At least it'd get her mind off of Steve for a while. "Yeah..."

"I'll pick you up."

She shook her head. "I'll drive." She didn't want to be stranded there without a ride home. Chris would understand if she wanted to borrow the car for an hour, right? Right. He was understanding like that.

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Rebecca slipped into the plush pajamas Joseph had brought her, throwing the papery hospital gown on the ground. She gave a contented sigh, having nearly forgotten how comforting something as simple as pajamas could be. She wriggled her bare toes, combing her fingers through her perpetually messy hair. She opened the door, heading back to the hospital bed.

Joseph was curled up in the arm chair, tapping his fingers absently against the arm. He'd been down there every day after school, up until her mother got there. If he couldn't make it, he would send a very unhappy Brad (Who'd only stopped by once already, and that was only after being forced by Sherry _and_ Annette. He was terrified of hospitals.) or Steve.

It was later in the evening, around dinner time and Joseph glanced at the clock apprehensively. He knew he had to leave her soon, and he knew she would be upset. She'd told him when he'd arrived that she had been having nightmares...

But for now, he leaned back in the chair and smiled. "Better?"

A smile from the girl. "Much. Thank you." She curled against the pillows. Bit by bit, Joseph and her mother were making her uncomfortable stay at the hospital more comfortable. She was grateful to know them. "Thanks for taking care of me, Joseph."

He smiled. "No problem." Another glance to the clock.

"...what?" She frowned slightly, watching him. "Do you have somewhere to be?"

Joseph grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "I've got a term paper due tomorrow. I need to finish it. I've spent all my time here with you..."

"Oh..." She smiled weakly. He knew she didn't mean to sound so sad when she turned her head away and forced out a soft murmur. "Okay."

He rose, forcing a weak smile. Seeing her so upset and fragile like this really hurt. "Rebecca..."

"Mm, I'll be okay." She kept her eyes away from him, staring at the wall. "Go on, my Mom'll be here in a few hours."

He paused, leaning down and kissing her temple gently. She eased slightly under his lips, a short wave of relief washing over her body. Nice. This was nice. She peeked up at him through her bangs, unable to hide a soft smile.

There was silence for a moment before he leaned down and kissed her. Her eyes widened lightly, but she didn't dare draw away. His lips were warm, and inviting. He broke away, leaving her feeling alone again.

He didn't kiss like Billy. He was gentle, and his lips were alluring. He pressed his lips against her softly and didn't crush his mouth to hers as Billy had done. Everything about him was more gentle, and caring. She...liked it.

He stood up after a moment with a smile. A light blush crept across his face. "...I ...uh, homework."

The smile pulled at the corners of her lips again. "Right. I'll see you tomorrow."

He smiled as well, grabbing his coat from the armchair and flicking his wrist as he left. The door closed behind him. It wasn't for another few minutes until she realized how terribly alone she was.

Rebecca was awoken by a heavy hand on her shoulder. She gave a cry and pushed away, nearly flinging herself off the bed in the process. Her heart was pounding, vision blurred by the head rush caused by the sudden movement. She could hardly breathe, lungs struggling to pull in deep breaths.

"U-uh..." The man stood there, jaw hanging open. (Well, he could hardly be called a man. He couldn't hardly be older than nineteen.) "...a-are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you..."

She rubbed her eyes hard, blinking slowly. "...sorry. H-had a nightmare." She swallowed hard, tongue seemingly fumbling over itself as she tried to explain herself. Back with Billy, he'd been smacking her around for something she didn't even remember doing. "J-just...scared me, and I woke up, but I'm okay now, and...who are you?"

He smiled softly, straightening up and nearly puffing out his chest. "Richard Aiken. I was just assigned to you today."

She frowned softly, scratching the back of her neck. "What happened to Cindy?" She asked. Cindy had been her nurse for the last couple of days, taking care of her, bringing her food and whatnot. She was nice.

"Food poisoning." He laughed weakly. "Hospital food, you know."

She smiled inwardly, silently thanking Joseph for the food he'd been bringing her.

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	42. Richard

Disclaimer: Resident Evil, nor any of the characters in this story belong to me. However, this story does belong to me. Don't steal, kiddies.

Author's notes: sjfdkajf okay. I didn't realize how abruptly the last chapter ended until I looked at it again. I blame Rebecca. Thanks for your birthday wishes, everyone!! So I'm a little absent minded, as of right now, I've been playing video games and working on the 100 themes challenge plus all of the crazy stuff going on in school. Ending off the end of my Spring Break with this chapter. I hope this chapter doesn't end as abruptly as the last chapter did. Please enjoy, reviews are very welcome!

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Claire hurried home after her encounter with the exchange student. She'd heard stories of girls being dumped by their boyfriends and moving on within hours to the next boy, but she'd never thought she'd be one of them. A pause before she decided she wasn't. She wasn't dating Luis, so a cup of coffee would be perfectly acceptable.

As she climbed into her brother's car, she felt her phone vibrate against her hip.

Chris gave a weak smile. He'd heard from Jill about the break up. He was afraid to say anything that might upset her. He didn't want to see his baby sister cry. "Hey...how's...uh, things?"

To his surprise, Claire gave a smile as she pulled out her phone. A text message from Ada. (She couldn't help but wonder why the hell she was so intent on helping her. What was she getting out of it?)

'_claire, you should really go out with luis. he's got the hots for you.- ~crimson butterfly~ ' _

She answered her brother as she texted back, "Alright. I could...I could be worse." She admitted. Being dumped stung, but it did help knowing she had boys interested in her already.

Her fingers worked the buttons quickly. _'he's cute, I guess. ..heaven:.' _

"Who're you talking to?" Jill turned around in the seat to look at Claire. "...Not Steve, is it?"

"Nope."

"Leon, then?"

She shook her head.

Jill cocked an eyebrow, leaning against her folded arms. "Who, then?"

"Ada."

The car jerked to a stop. Chris glared at his sister via the rear-view mirror. "Are you _stupid_?"

The words hit her and stung slightly, causing her to be completely silent. She blinked at him. She honestly had no idea how to respond to that. Thankfully, Chris continued to talk.

"Didn't you stay up crying for like a week because of her?"

She felt her face get hot. It was true. Despite the fact she had Steve, she had spent several nights crying over the loss of Leon. "Yeah..."

"And you're still talking to her." The corners of Chris's lips turned downward. It wasn't a question, more of a disappointed statement.

The phone buzzed in her lap and she flipped it open, eyes grazing over the message.

'_you guys would be a really cute couple. go for it before someone else does. ~crimson butterfly~' _

Claire couldn't help but roll her eyes. She hadn't even been single for twenty-four hours yet and she had people pressuring her to start dating again. She flipped the phone closed without replying. If this what the entire conversation entailed, she could care less. She turned her attention to her brother now.

"Sorry, Chris... she just wants to set me up with some guy, but I'm not really interested."

"Who?" He cocked an eyebrow. "They better not push my baby sister into anything." A pause. "Claire, don't let them bully you into something you don't want to do."

Claire rolled her eyes lightly before glancing to Jill. "Luis Sera, he's that exchange student."  
Jill perked up. "The one with those chocolate-brown eyes?" She smiled inwardly.

"Yeah and the thick accent." Claire gave a grin. Secretly, she'd always been a fan of accents. British, Scottish, Russian, Spanish, it didn't matter. It was exotic, new, and sexy.

Jill grinned back. "And those silky flowing locks of hair? Ohhh, he looks just like one of those half-naked guys on those romance novels!"

Chris shot his girlfriend a half-glare. He didn't want to just sit idly by while his sister and girlfriend talked about some exchange student, no matter how 'good looking' he was. It was just... awkward. Simply put, hearing his two favorite women in his life talk about some other guy just made him feel incredibly uncomfortable.

Jill sunk back in her chair and offered a soft apology. Chris always did seem to get a little jealous when another boy was mentioned, but she didn't mind. She thought it was cute.

Chris gave a smile, reaching over and squeezing her hand gently for a moment.

Claire rolled her eyes. "Ugh, gross." She said loudly. She _really_ didn't like to see Jill and Chris getting all lovey-dovey. Jill was just like a sister to her, and Chris was...well, her brother. She just plain didn't want to see that.

Jill gave a giggle, drawing away and flashing him a shy smile.

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The man that had awoken Rebecca from her slumber was a nurse, by the name of Richard Aiken. He was new, and had been assigned to her for her last two days in the hospital. She'd seen him around before, back when he was interning and whatnot. But, about all she knew was that he liked to drink his coffee with two packets of sugar, he liked ham sandwiches and he usually ate lunch alone. He was quiet, they'd never really talked more than maybe a 'good morning' if they crossed paths or got on the same elevator.

He was actually older than he looked, twenty-three years old. The top of his hair was longer than the rest and was a sandy blonde color. He had these pretty almost golden eyes that seemed to light up the entire room. ...and he was cute, too.

He sat on the edge of her bed as he looked over her chart. "...looks like I'll be your nurse for the rest of the time you're here. You're out in two days, Miss Chambers." He flashed a grin.

Rebecca gave a sigh of relief. Two more days and she could get out of the hospital, go home and rest before heading back to school. Her eyes widened lightly. School.

She'd have to deal with the points and stares, the laughing, gossiping, the rumors... just thinking about it was making her queasy. She just wasn't looking forward to going back to school. Out of one hellhole and into another. Yay.

Rebecca closed her eyes, taking in a few deep breaths to calm herself. Richard put the chart away, standing.

"Are you okay? Do you need something? You don't look so well." A weak smile.

She shook her head. "M'fine." She let out a slow breath, opening her eyes finally.

The nurse was leaning over her now, pressing a hand to her forehead. "You don't feel warm..." He frowned softly. "But you do feel kinda clammy, are you sure you're okay?"

"Just... a little nervous." She laughed weakly.

"Wanna talk about it? I've got time." He sat down in Joseph's usual seat, placing his clipboard across his lap. He leaned forward to show he was listening.

"...uh, no. Not really." A weak smile. She knew he was trying to be nice, but she didn't know him well enough to spill the intimate details of her relationship with Billy Coen, leading up to the kidnapping and then abuse. She just didn't feel comfortable with it. "I'll be okay." A weak smile, rubbing her eye. "...kinda tired, though."

The man rose, giving a nod. He clutched his clipboard close to his chest and smiled. "I'll leave you be, then. Just press your little call button if you need me, Miss Chambers."

"...call me Rebecca." She nearly blurted out. "Miss Chambers sounds too formal." A weak smile.

"...Rebecca." He smiled. "Okay. Call me if you need me, Rebecca."

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Joseph stared at the screen of the computer. The little black cursor blinked at him on the empty white page behind it. He narrowed his eyes and could've sworn the cursor began to blink faster. He growled. The damn thing was mocking him.

He mumbled some obscenities, cracking his fingers.

He couldn't concentrate. Not at all. His mind kept drifting back to Rebecca, sometimes even his writing showing it. He'd had to restart this damn research paper over three times because of her seeping into his thoughts.

He finally moved away from the computer, heading to grab a cup of coffee from the corner coffee shop. Maybe a walk in the crisp night air would do him some good for clearing his head. If not, the coffee would stimulate the creative side of his mind. ...and keep him awake long enough to get this damn paper finished.

He pulled on his jacket, cramming his hands in the pockets as he headed out the front door.

Joseph's cellphone was heavy in his pocket. He wondered if calling her would help. Maybe a quick chat on the way there and home would be enough to dismiss her from his thoughts. Just for the night.

He dialed the number for her hospital room, listening to it ring.

A soft voice answered. "Hello?"

"Hey, you." He smiled. Hearing her voice made his heart flutter. "How're you feeling?"

"Fine." Rebecca smiled weakly. "I got a new nurse."

"Oh yeah? Whats her name?"

"His name is Richard."

"..his?" He frowned. A male nurse? "Huh. Well that's a little strange."

"He's really nice. I've ran into him before, a few times when I was volunteering."

He smiled. "Yeah?" He paused. "You sound better than when I left you."

"Well... uh, you did call me." she smiled softly. "How is your paper coming?"

"Awful. I can't stop thinking about you." He felt his face get hot and he gave a sloppy grin. He was so glad she couldn't see him.

A weak laugh. "How is that awful?"

"Because I can't get anything done!" He smiled. "It's frustrating, I have a feeling I'll be up all night."

"Why aren't you working on it now?"

"I went to grab a cup of coffee, you know, some ammunition against the common enemy of sleep." Joseph was known to stay up for days on end while playing video game marathons, or for a myriad of other reasons. He was well adapted to skipping days of sleep and surviving on coffee, sugary snacks and some other supplies for caffeine. Surprisingly, he was never jittery.

Rebecca gave a giggle. "You need to get it done, alright?"  
"Yeah yeah, I will."

Silence for a few seconds.

"Joseph?"

"Yeah, Rebecca?" He smiled. Hearing her say his name made his heart beat that fraction faster.

"I should get going, I'm pretty tired... I wanted to get some sleep in. I get to go home in two days."

"Oh...uh, yeah. That's cool. Sleep well." Joseph couldn't hide a frown. She seemed so ready to get off the phone with him. "...night." He hung up, slipping the phone back into his pocket. But, even though he was upset, he knew she needed the rest. He'd be able to spend all the time he wanted with her in two days.


	43. Broken

Disclaimer: Resident Evil is still not mine.

Author's notes: So after a like, three month Hiatus, I bring you the next chapter of Raccoon City High. Sorry, I had a LOT of stuff to do lately. But I finally got me some time and inspiration to do some RCHS. Special thanks to EVERYONE who reviews. Really guys, it's the motivation that keeps me bringing this story to you. But, I feel a little rusty. Excuse me if this chapter is a bit dull. Enjoy and keep the reviews rolling in if you enjoy it, or if you don't. Let me know what to fix!

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Claire smiled nearly shyly at Luis as the man slid her coffee across the table. She took it, feeling the hot liquid beneath her fingers. He was very polite, and she'd admit that didn't exactly hate hearing his almost exotic accent. She loved the way that the words just seemed to roll off his tongue, almost naturally even though English was his second language. It was almost hypnotic, sipping her coffee through the plastic lid as he spoke to her. She was afraid to admit even to herself that Luis's voice was a welcome change to Steve's, who bordered on obnoxious at times.

After only a short amount of time, Luis shifted to the other side of the table, beside Claire. She smiled softly, but shifted away.

"What is wrong, Senorita?" He flashed a smile, even white teeth practically gleaming in the dim light of the coffee shop. "You are not afraid of me, are you?"

She hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. Afraid wasn't the word. Weary, maybe? He'd jumped on her so soon after her and Steve had broken up that just made a little nervous. Sure, maybe he'd been watching her for days, or weeks or even months, but she had a sinking suspicion that Ada was up to something. She always was. Ada was just _that _kind of girl – conniving and willing to use people to get what she wanted.

He smiled, touching her face softly. She noted that his fingertips were soft as she looked up at him with a shy smile. It felt strange, like she was cheating on Steve, even though she _knew_ that she wasn't with Steve anymore. She said nothing for a moment, looking away.

"Luis..."

"Yes, senorita?"

"I...don't feel well, can you take me home?"

"Are you going to be okay?"

She smiled weakly. No. Not as long as she wasn't with Steve. "Yeah. I just need to go home and rest."

"...sure. Lets go, Senorita." He gave almost a weak smile, scooting out of the seat and standing. He fixed his pants, smoothing out the wrinkles. She smiled softly in thanks, standing and discarding her half-empty coffee cup in the trash.

When she got home, she feigned a headache and locked herself in the room. She kept the lights on, and flipped on some low music. In the past, Music was always able to cheer her up.

Jill and Chris watched her go back. Jill frowned softly, hearing her bedroom door shut behind her and the lock click closed.

"Chris, do you think Claire is okay?"

Chris looked up, blinking. "Why wouldn't she be? She _gladly_ accepted the date for that Louis guy."  
"It's Luis, not Louis. It's Spanish."

"It doesn't matter. You and her both were practically _drooling_ over the guy." He muttered nearly angrily, taking a sip of his soda.

"Chris, do you remember how upset she was over Leon?"  
A nod, eyes shifting over to look at his girlfriend as she spoke.

"Just imagine that it's Leon all over again, but worse. They've had sex, Chris, and he was her first. That's a big deal, okay? I'm sure she's broken hearted." She moved to stand. "I'm going to go check on her."

Chris gave a soft sigh. "No, I'll do it. I'll make her some hot chocolate, that's what Mom used to do whenever she was upset."

Jill smiled softly, taking a seat on the couch again. "Thanks, Chris."

Claire looked up when there was a knock on the door. Before she had time to ask who it was and what they wanted, Chris answered.

"It's me, I brought you some hot chocolate."

She frowned softly. Hot chocolate? He knew she was upset. She was half embarrassed she couldn't fake being okay and half relieved he was coming to her aid. She moved to unlock the door, retreating back to the bed when it opened.

He smiled softly, holding out the coffee mug to her. It was her favorite one, one of the ones Mom had given her. It was white with a beautiful red and pink bouquet of flowers on the front. The gold lines behind the flowers criss crossed all the way around the mug. She smiled inwardly. She missed her parents a lot, and wished that her Mother was stilll around on days like this to comfort her.

"...hot chocolate and whipped cream." She murmured quietly, looking up. "Thanks, Chris."  
"_Extra_ whipped cream, because I know that's what you like."

She smiled, taking the tip of her finger and scooping some of the whipped cream off the top and popping it in her mouth. Exactly the way she liked it. Her big brother knew her so well.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Yes. "Not really." she smiled weakly.

"You sure? I can get Jill, if you don't feel comfortable talking to me."

"I'm okay." A weak smile and she took a drink of the hot chocolate. The warm liquid made her chest feel warm, and it was soothing, and she was suddenly back in the days of her Mother holding her close and stroking her hair as she drank her hot chocolate and everything was okay, even if it was only for a few minutes.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Steve was angry. With himself, and with Claire, and with Leon. He'd punched two holes in the wall and knocked over an arm chair already. The heat was burning in his chest and all he could think about was Claire. He'd heard she'd already moved on and gone on a date with one of Leon's friends, apparently after he'd used her and tossed her away. He'd given everything to her, and all she had to show for it was a date with her ex-boyfriend after _lying to him._

He hardly thought about it before he slammed his fist into the wall. There was the slight sting as his knuckles busted through the plaster, and then a satisfactory _crunch._ He drew his hand away and straightened it out, feeling a searing pain nearly rip through his hand. Two of his knuckles, the ones above his pointer and ring finger on his right hand were bleeding. He tried to straighten out his fingers and felt another sharp pain stab through his hand. He cursed softly, moving to get some ice.

He settled down in his now upright armchair as he put a bag of frozen peas on his hand. There was still a dull throbbing sensation. If he moved it, it would be enough to bring tears to his eyes. It was starting to swell and turn black and blue.

He muttered angrily as he dug his cellphone out of his pocket with his good hand, dialing Joseph's number. He hoped he was heading to the hospital today to see Rebecca.

"Hullo?"

"Hey, it's Steve. Are you going to visit Rebecca today?"

"I was thinking about it, why?"

"...I think I broke my hand."  
"Oh shit, no way."

"Yeah way." A weak laugh from the redhead. "I uh. I sorta punched a wall really hard. My hand's all black and swollen and I can't move it."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I think I might need to get to the emergency room."

"Alright. I'm borrowing my Aunt's car this week, so let me swing by and pick you up, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. I'll see you."

"Bye." Joseph hung up the other end of the phone. He had been on the fence about heading down to visit Rebecca after last time, but if Steve needed to go, he might as well drop by and see how she was doing.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Rebecca had been removed from all the machines. She was going to be able to leave later tonight, Richard had said earlier when he brought her lunch. Joseph hadn't been by all day, and she had to eat the hospital food that tasted awful. She didn't want to eat it, but Richard had suggested she should, if she wanted to go home on time.

She simply lay in bed now, staring out the window. She couldn't see anything from here except the tops of other buildings and the sky. She just wanted to go home. She'd been in the hospital for days and she missed her own bed even more than before.

"Rebecca?"

She looked up, and saw her nurse standing in the doorway. She smiled softly. He'd become a welcome sight. Soothing almost. "Yeah?"

"Do you need anything?"

She shook her head. She was a little bored and homesick, but that really wasn't anything that Richard could fix.

"You sure? Water or a coke or something?"

She shook her head again.

"...nothing at all, then." He seemed disappointed.

"I guess I could use someone to talk to." She flashed a soft smile.

He smiled as well. "I can do that for a few minutes. I don't mind."


	44. Choices

Disclaimer: Resident Evil is not mine, however Raccoon City High (RCHS) IS mine. So back off.

Author's notes: I've been so damn distracted lately. Ffffuu – Also, I've been addicted to Total Drama Island so I'm switching between the two fandoms. It's a little difficult sometimes but it's pretty cool. Soo, anyways, yeah. It's three thirty in the morning, my time. I'm posting this, and going to bed.

School's starting soon though, huh? For those of you still in school, anyways. Have a good year, guys. Lets hope it's not as drama-filled as RCHS, huh? Anyways, please enjoy. Reviews are always nice!

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Rebecca wasn't sure why she felt so inclined to trust Richard. Maybe it was because he was so caring and sweet to her, or the way that when he entered the room, she felt like everything was okay. It may have been the way he seemed to seek her out when she needed someone around the most, or because he seemed as though he was seeking to be around her. Regardless, for whichever reason, the words were pouring out.

"I miss my Mommy and my bed. I miss my school friends. I ...want everything to go back to the way that it was." She shifted slightly, biting her lip and looking to the older man. She pinched her lower lip against her teeth but said nothing for a few long moments.

"...I thought that Joseph really liked me." She spoke softly, and Richard leaned close to hear her better. He rested a hand on the mattress of the hospital bed, concerned eyes focused on the younger girl. "A-and I sorta really liked him too. He brought me food, and I...let him kiss me, e-even after what Billy did to me..." Her voice was quivering lightly as she tried to fight off the urge to cry.

She took a deep breath and wet her lips. "This little voice in the back of my h-head just kept saying, 'Why? Why so soon? After what happened with Billy? What if he hurts you? What then, Rebecca?' and I i-ignored it. I figured t-that he was sweet, figured he cared. He skipped class a-and he visited m-me every day, brought me f-f-food."

Richard's fingers moved smoothly to her hand now. It was sore from the IV's, but she didn't draw away. His touch was warm and she liked it. His fingers were soft.

"J-just... was so nice a-after what happened, y'know?" She smiled weakly. "G-guess I got...my h-hopes up. Hasn't visited m-me in a w-whi-while." She whimpered now, closing her eyes.

Richard gave another smile, head tilted ever so slightly to the side. He took her hand in his, gently, so as not to hurt her. Her arm had little bruises from the IVs and the shots she'd been receiving the past few days. "You need to not worry about him. He's not worth your time if he doesn't treat you right, Rebecca." He squeezed gently. She couldn't help but smile.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

As Steve sat in the emergency room lobby, waiting for his turn to be called up, Joseph headed off to the gift shop. He figured Rebecca could use a box of chocolates, or maybe some flowers. He remembered that they had those big chocolate covered cherries that just oozed that pink, sweet, sugary substance. Who didn't love those? He glanced around the shelves for a few moments before picking out a few cherries, and a single rose. (A pale pink one, because he'd been told ages ago that a red rose could give a girl the wrong message.) He paid before heading up to Rebecca's room. The trek was the same every time – around the corner, down the stretch of white hallway sat the elevators. He always took the one on the left. He hit the right button, and he watched the doors close. The elevator lurched into motion, the faint music playing in the background. He was thankful for the music, really. Otherwise it would be too tense and monotonous riding up to her floor.

The doors opened and he stepped out, getting a whiff of sterilizer. He wrinkled his nose in distaste, and continued the walk down the hall. A sharp right, and down to the third door on the left. Rebecca's room. The door was closed, which was strange.

He gave a soft smile, feeling the butterflies in his stomach start to kick up. It always started like this whenever he got close to her room. He couldn't help but wish for another kiss, this time. Her kisses were so sweet, they were worth the long trip from the Hospital lobby.

He didn't bother to knock, pushing the door open. It made a light creak, but nothing more. Some guy was sitting on her bed, he had sorta dark dirty blonde hair, almost a brownish color. He was clad in some kind of scrubs. He must've been a doctor or something.

He heard Rebecca giggle, and that made him smile. He always smiled when she smiled, or laughed. It made him feel good, made his heart almost flutter and made those butterflies dance even more in his gut. He was just about to announce his presence when the doctor leaned in for a kiss. He heard her gasp and his jaw tightened.

Rebecca wrapped her arm around the guy's neck, closing her eyes and pulling herself closer. Something inside Joseph snapped, as simple as that. He threw the gifts to the ground, practically racing over to the man. He grabbed him by the back of the collar, jerking him away from the younger girl. He threw him as far as he could – which as it was, wasn't more than a few inches away before the man regained his balance.

Richard stared, dumbfounded, at the boy in the red bandana.

"Hey man, what the hell?" The man asked with a deep frown, taking another few steps back. He held his palms towards him, ready to defend himself, if he needed.

"What the fuck man! Why the fuck are you kissing her!" He shouted, teeth bared and fists clenched at his side. His knuckles were turning white.

"Joseph!"

"Shut up!" He snapped. He felt hot, and he saw red. He just wanted to punch this guy's fucking lights out. How dare he kiss Rebecca. Who did he even think he was? He growled, lunging to grab onto him again, but the man sidestepped him. Joseph stumbled into the wall and gave a yelp of pain.

Rebecca started crying. She didn't want this, she didn't want anymore fighting or stress. All she wanted was some care and some time to herself, in her own damn bed in her own damn house.

Joseph straightened, moving to punch Richard again. This time he caught the male nurse in the side of his face, right at the hinge of his jaw.

He reeled back, holding his face. "Y-you need to _leave. _Right now," He held a hand to his face, moving for the phone to call security. If he wasn't out of his sight in the next thirty seconds, Richard was calling the cops.

"S-she's my goddamn girlfriend! Stay the fuck off of her!"

"J-Joseph!"

"What?" He snapped again, this time turning to look at her. He saw the tears slipping down her face, and his features soften. "...Becca..."

"I'm _n-not_ your girlfriend! I thought... you were different...didn't think you were l-l-like this." She whimpered, staring up at him. "B-but...y'are...a-a-and now you h-have to go." She breathed out, rubbing her eyes on the back of her hand.

Joseph stared at her, eyes wide. Nothing he'd done had meant anything. None of the time, or the classes he skipped to see her, the homework he didn't do, the things he loaned her, the food he spent his money on. None of it meant anything, and that broke his heart more than anything else. He'd done everything he could for her, and she replayed him by kissing some other guy. That _hurt._

He said nothing as he turn and left the room. He didn't close the door.

Richard muttered curses under his breath, massaging gently where Joseph had hit him. He'd gotten him pretty good. It would be red and swollen, if not black and blue in the morning.

"...r'you okay?" Rebecca whimpered.

Richard gave a nod, smiling weakly. "Was that the guy you were talking about?"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

It took literally hours for Steve to get through the emergency room. They took x-rays there, but sent him to another department on another floor to get it actually set. They'd given him some serious painkiller and sent him off, saying they had people to take care of that were in more dire condition.

Another two hours and he was out. Joseph had left hours ago, without an explanation, but Steve didn't blame him. He didn't want to be here, himself, and he certainly wasn't about to _make_ Joseph wait with him.

They gave him some kind of brace to wear, instead of a cast, since it was a knuckle fracture. One of his fingers, the index one, had to be set in another brace. They'd laughed when Steve told him what happened, and the sweet nurse informed him that it happened often – a few times a month. They set him in a sling and let him go on his own.

And now he was faced with a new problem – who to call to get home? His house was on the other side of town, and he couldn't walk. He didn't know the buses or the schedule on this side of town – he wasn't even sure if the buses were running at this time. It was already evening. His stomach growled to let him know he'd missed dinner.

He couldn't call Joseph, since he'd just left. Brad didn't have a car, and he was sure Sherry's Mom wouldn't appreciate calling for a ride. Well, Rebecca was already in the hospital, so that was a no. That just left Claire and Chris.

He pulled out his cell and stepped outside the hospital – he'd heard rumors that cell phones caused the machines inside to go haywire, and he didn't want to be responsible for a death. He dialed Claire's number – still set in his phone as "Speed Dial 2." He smiled to himself and shook his head. He heard it ring.

Claire's voice picked up on the other end of the phone, sounding wary and tired. "...hello?"

"H-hey, Claire." A weak smile, glad that he couldn't be seen by her.

"...what do you want?" Her voice nearly quivered.

"M'at the hospital, and my ride left. Can...can I get you or your brother to give me a ride?"

"Hospital? Why? Are you okay?"

He grinned inwardly now. She was worried, and that made him feel good. ...for some reason. "Mhmm, can I just get a ride, please?"

"Yeah, yeah." Claire sighed. "I'll grab Chris. I'll call you when we're almost there, Steve." She hung up without a 'goodbye.'

Steve clicked his phone off as well, slipping it back into his pocket and feeling around for change at the same time. It was hard to do all of this one-handed. He found a crumpled dollar bill and enough change for something from the vending machine. He smiled, moving inside to grab something to satisfy his hunger from not eating all day.

He looked over his selection through the glass, tapping his chin as he did so. "Hmph..." He wanted a chocolate bar, but something with peanuts or something, that way it'd be more filling until he could get home and get a sandwich, or pull something from the freezer. He just needed a little something to hold him over until then.

He finally made his selection, a chocolate bar with peanuts and caramel in it. He pressed the button and watched the little metal rod curl forward before the candy bar dropped – almost. It hung by the edge of the wrapper from the rod. He gave a cry of despair. Dammit. He wanted that candy bar. He glanced around once quickly to make sure there wasn't any kind of staff around before he delivered one quick kick to the machine. He laughed when the candy fell to the bottom. He claimed his prize, grinning.

"Didn't think that'd work." He admitted aloud, giving one triumphant nod. He hid the soda machine next, picking whatever had the most caffiene. He needed his fix.

Once he got his treats, he sat outside in the sun and waited for Claire and Chris to come by. He couldn't help but wonder what he would say when Claire and her brother came to pick him up.


	45. Dirty Little Secret

Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil, however, I do own this story.

Author's notes: It's been a long few months. I know you guys have been DYING for this. I get countless messages asking when I'm continuing the story. I just got a hit of inspiration, so I whipped this out for you guys. I've finally got somewhere to go with this again! New and old fans alike, thank you SO much for sticking with me through the last few update-less months. Don't worry though, I'll let you know when this story is over/on hiatus. Warning, because this chapter has a fair amount of cursing in this one. Enjoy and feedback is not only welcome, but encouraged! Hope you enjoy it, and again, my apologies for the long, _long_ wait. Without further ado, the newest installment of Raccoon City High...

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"Claire, are you sure you want to come? I don't think it's a good idea to see Steve so soon." Chris asked, pulling his personalized jacket on. The sun was beginning to go down and that would surely mean a temperature drop.

"I'm sure. I'll be okay." Claire forced a smile. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she just wanted to see him again. Maybe it would ease the ache in her heart. Maybe it would help, just a little... and really, that's all she wanted right now. She just wanted the pain to ease...

"Are you _sure." _He repeated, staring his little sister in the eyes.

"Chris, I'm sure. M'not a baby anymore, I can make decisions for myself," She muttered, pushing past him to get a jacket for herself. She draped it over her shoulder and moved out the front door. She couldn't ignore the nervous pitter-patter of her heart against her ribcage.

Sure, she wanted to see him, but she was apprehensive. She was sure it'd be awkward, at the very least, and painful at the most. Nonetheless, she took a deep breath and climbed into the passenger seat of the car. She curled her feet against the seat, leaning against the door. She gazed out the window.

Shaking his head, her brother followed. He climbed into the drivers seat, shaking his head all the while. He wished his sister took his advice, but he knew she had to make her own mistakes. He leaned forward, turning on the radio. Classic rock, of course. It was just about the only thing the both of them listened to. Queen was the one band they both enjoyed.

The entire ride to the hospital was without conversation, Claire's eyes fixated on the passing buildings and cars, while her brother's eyes were fixated on the road. He tapped his fingers lightly against the steering wheel to the music. It was an absent habit that he'd developed over the years he'd been driving.

Claire felt her palms start to get sweaty when she saw the hospital. She swallowed hard, taking a few deep breaths to keep herself from calm. She hadn't thought that seeing Steve would be so stressful. She shifted slightly, trying to seem as nonchalant as possible. She wished she had a cup of coffee or something to sip. Hell, that always worked on TV...

As they pulled up to the front of the hospital, Claire spotted that familiar red hair. She averted her eyes, closing them briefly.

"Claire?"

"What?" She nearly snapped.

"...are you doing okay?"

"...m'fine." She replied, shifting again.

Chris shook his head again, stopping in front of the boy.

Steve perked up, scrambling to his feet. He winced lightly when he put weight on his arm, but shrugged It off. Had to keep up appearances. He was tough.

Chris unlocked the doors, and Steve clambered into the back seat, trying to avoid putting anymore weight on his arm. It hurt bad enough as it was. He buckled carefully and leaned against the back of the seat, breathing a sigh of relief. He could go home, eat, possibly shower, and sleep for a good, long while.

Chris gave a smile, looking at the younger boy via his rear-view mirror. "Hey, Steve."

Steve gave a weak, "Hey." in return, leaning his head back. He held his arm close to his body, trying to keep the movement to a minimum.

"So what'd you do, man?"

"Have you ever been so mad you just … punched the nearest thing?"

Chris gave a short chuckle. "Once, after Jill and I had a fight, I punched this big rock. And damn did I ever regret it."

"Yeah...s'pretty much what happened." He muttered, breathing in deep.

Claire said nothing, looking at him via the side mirror. She looked him over for a second before forcing her eyes away. Her mouth suddenly felt dry and her heart started to ache again. She began wishing that she'd listened to her brother and stayed home. It was awkward and uncomfortable, and it was painful. She just wanted to touch him and comfort him. She felt tears form in the corner of her eyes, and she tried to blink them away.

"So, you want a ride back to your place right, Steve?"

"Right..." Another weak smile was all about he could muster. "...thanks, Chris. Really... didn't have anyone else to call."

"Don't worry about it, man." Chris gave a nod and a smile. "Alright, to your place it is."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Leon felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He raised an eyebrow, pulling it out and looking at the screen. It was Ada. He gave a soft smile, hitting the answer button.

"Hello?"

"Hey, you..."

"What's up, babe?"

"I'm not feeling very well... I have a doctor's appointment in an hour and a half, will you take me?"

He frowned slightly, giving a nod. "Yeah, sure, babe. What's wrong?"

"I've got a headache, and my neck is really stiff... all of my lymph nodes in my neck are swollen and sore to the touch. Low fever... and some sort of rash." A soft sigh. "I...I have no idea what I have..."

"Alright... I'll be there in half an hour to pick you up."

"Thanks..." A weak smile on the other side of the phone line. "...see you soon, Leon." She hung up.

As the half hour mark passed, Leon rolled up into Ada's driveway. He honked twice, leaning back in the seat of his jeep. He fiddled with various knobs and wiped dust from his dashboard as he waited. A few moments later, Ada came shuffling down the driveway. She was wearing very ill fitting clothes – some sort of red sweat suit and tennis shoes, something that he wasn't used to seeing her in all. He cocked an eyebrow – she must be feeling terrible. As she neared the car, Leon noticed she wasn't wearing any make-up and her hair looked like it hadn't been styled in days – yet another uncommon occurrence.

"...damn. You look terrible, Ada."

The cheerleader glared at him as she climbed into the car. "I'm _sick,_ Leon."

"...yeah, I can tell." He frowned deeply, shaking his head. "Now which way is your doctors office?"

"Go down Emerdale, then go right on Ella, take it to Park Street and it's on the left side of the road." She muttered, rubbing her temples gently with her forefinger and thumb. She wished the damn sun would go down already.

Leon was told to wait in the waiting area while Ada got her exam. He complied, but wasn't too happy about the magazine selection. He found a couple that he was interested in – one to do with guns, one to do with exercise and being fit, and he also leafed through a magazine all about the Umbrella Corp presence in Raccoon City and some back story on that.

The doctor looked over Ada's chart before looking to her. "So, Miss Wong, care to tell me what's wrong? It says here your temperature is 99.8, so you're running a fever, but the rest of your vitals seem to be fine."

"My head hurts, and my lymph nodes are all swolen... I ache all over, and I'm _exhausted._ There's some sort of weird ...red rash on my stomach... is it the flu?"

The doctor tapped his pen on the table, chewing his lip in thought momentarily. "Miss Wong, are you sexually active?"

"...what's that got to do with this...?"

"Are you?"  
"Well yes, but-"

"We're going to have to do a test, you have quite a lot of the symptoms of syphilis."

She gave a short, almost weak laugh. "Huh? S'impossible. I've only slept with one boy in a long time..."

"Are you using condoms?"

"...n-no, because I'm on birth control." A frown. "Leon said there was no need since I was on the pill..."

The doctor shook his head. "Miss Wong, I'm going to send in a nurse to run the test. It's a treatable infection. I'll send her in shortly."

Ada sat on the examination table, stunned. Syphilis. She'd been faithful, which meant that Leon... suddenly there was a surge of anger.

Not only had Leon _cheated,_ but now she had a fucking sexually transmitted disease.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Leon looked up when he heard footsteps. Ada's, of course. He'd been around her enough to recognize her footsteps, even if she wasn't in high-heels.

"Hey, how'd it go?" He straightened his back, leaning towards. "How're you feeling?"

Without hesitation, she smacked him. Hard, open palmed against his face. Leon was stunned for a moment before looking to her.

"What the fuck!"

"Leon, you fucking _cheated_ on me."

"What? No I didn't!"

"Leon, I have syphilis!"

The color drained from his face and he swallowed hard. "H-how do I know you didn't cheat on me?"

She grabbed a fistful of his shaggy hair, bringing his face closer to hers. "What's her name, Leon?"

He shut his eyes, muttering under his breath.

"Who's the skank you've been screwing behind my back, Leon!"  
"Ashley. Jesus christ, okay? Ashley Graham!"


	46. Meet Lisa

Disclaimer: Resident Evil isn't mine, however this story is...

Author's notes: I had to do a double take when I saw the hits on my story. I surpassed 50k hits this month thanks to you guys. You guys are just so so awesome. This story's been running for a bit longer than I realized, I published it back two years ago at this point. It's insane, really. Thank you guys for being so awesome and such badass fans, commenting and even just stopping by to read. Just sit tight and I'll keep the chapters coming until the end of the story, I promise. I ran a poll on deviantart, and most of my watchers over there seemed to really want to have something nice happen in the midst of all of this drama, as well as a handful of requests for new characters. So lets do some of that, shall we? On that note, if any of you guys have things that you'd like to see, keep on writing in and tell me what they are. I'll see about working in whatever I can! And before I ramble too much, go ahead and scroll down to this chapter of RCHS! Updated once again at an ungodly hour in the morning.

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Joseph couldn't concentrate. He found his thoughts and his eyes wandering as he tried to sit through class. He didn't really care about any of his homework; most of it ended up stuffed at the bottom of his backpack. He felt used. And it wasn't a very good feeling. He was angry at himself, but mostly at Rebecca for casting his emotions aside so carelessly. After everything that he had done for her...

"Joseph."

He jolted when the Teacher called his name. He sat up, adjusting his red bandanna hastily.

"Y-yes?"

"Do you have a partner to do the next project with?"

Joseph looked around and realized that pretty much the entire class was paired off in duos and trios. He frowned, wondering how long he'd spaced out for. He shook his head.

"Why don't you and Miss Trevor pair up." The teacher's tone suggested that it wasn't a question, but more of a command.

Joseph smiled weakly. "...uh, yeah, sure." He rose and slowly dragged himself over to the table that 'Miss Trevor' was sitting at. He looked her over as he set his bag on the ground. She had straight black hair with blunt cut bangs that framed her face. Her eyes were a pale green. Her nails were painted black, but the nail polish was chipping in places. A silver cross hung around her neck, layered with other silver necklaces – stars and what looked maybe like a pentagram. She wore a little too much makeup, dark eyeshadow and even darker lines of eyeliner.

She dressed a little strange, at least for what most of the people at the school wore. Her skirt was long, despite the fact that it was warm. Her top was more of a sleeveless deal, with criss-crossing ribbons that reminded him of corsets that he'd seen in his video games. It was all black, aside from some red lace detailing on the sides.

He'd seen her around school before, but he'd never gone out of the way to talk to her, and he was certain he'd made eye contact with her less than a handful of times in his entire school career. She seemed more of the type that would rather be left alone, or would only associate with her certain group of friends.

"I'm Joseph." He held out a hand, forcing a smile. "Sorry, I was sorta – uh, zoning out. Y'know, school and stuff."

She kept her hands to herself, looking at him with a stoic expression. "I'm Lisa."

He glanced around for a moment. "...you don't have a partner either, huh?"

"No. I usually don't."

"Well, you've got a partner now. ... so, what's the project?" A semi-weak grin. "like I said, I was zoning out..."

"It's... sort of lame, actually." She murmured. "It's just one of those 'make a collage to express who you are' projects. Paper, markers, paint, stickers, glitter... magazines," She eyed the measly stack of magazines that were left – everyone had already picked anything that was good. "The usual." A roll of the eyes.

"I guess. M'not really the artsy type." He admitted. "I just took this because most of the other electives were full."

"Oh... really? I love art. Photography, poetry, literature, drawings, paintings, music. Anything. So I guess I find most of the assignments in the class cliché and boring. You know 'express yourself' usually ends up being people who paste a bunch of poorly cut out photographs from magazines on a piece of construction paper and spend the rest of the class gossiping. Shallow." She gave a disdainful look around the room at all of the other people and rolled their eyes.

Joseph cocked an eyebrow and couldn't suppress a smirk. He sort of liked this girl. She was different.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Rebecca felt strange sitting in her fourth period class. Well, honestly she'd felt strange all day. It felt almost surreal, like it was a new place or something. Every time a door banged shut down the hall, she jumped. When a book fell, or someone began to sharpen their pencil, she winced. The most people she'd been around for the last few weeks had been two or less at a time, and suddenly she was surrounded.

People were staring, and whispering. She tried not to listen. She stared at the blackboard, or the book in her hand, her homework... anything to avoid the stares of her classmates. The only thing Rebecca could look forward to was going home and laying down in her own bed. And talking to Richard.

Brad would guide her through the halls between classes, and he promised that himself and Sherry would join her for lunch. Since Joseph wasn't talking to her, and Steve was nowhere to be found, she felt alone. More alone than she'd ever felt before. When she realized she wouldn't be able to go talk to Mr. Coen, she felt her stomach drop. Even after everything he put her through, she realized she would really miss not being able to spend time with him after class.

There were a few people who greeted her with hugs and smiles, telling her that they missed her, and that they had been waiting for her to come back... but most everyone else reacted by spreading rumors.

She finished filling in her test sheet, looking over the bubbles one last time. Of course, the day she had returned to school had been a test. The teacher told her to go ahead and take it, and if it came back with a bad score, he wouldn't count it. Even though she'd received some of the homework from Joseph and various other friends, she still needed time to catch up.

Just as she was standing to hand in her sheet, the bell rang for lunch. The rest of her classmates hurried out of the classroom, but she hung behind. She had to wait for Brad and Sherry to come by. She wasn't about to brave the halls alone, especially during lunch time. It wasn't worth it.

The teacher smiled warmly at her as she approached the desk.

"How are you holding up, Rebecca?"

She gave a weak smile, shifting her backpack slightly. "I'm tired. I haven't had this much exercise in a long time."

"I'm sure." Another smile. "How are the other kids treating you?"

"...you know... like teenagers." She shrugged weakly now, averting her eyes. She was being treated like an outcast.

He nodded. "Well, if you ever need somewhere to escape to, you can come here."

She nodded and thanked him. All her other teachers today had said that to her, and even some she didn't know. They all seemed to want to take care of her, and she appreciated that, but she wondered if some of them felt as though they needed to, being authority figures and whatnot.

Brad knocked on the door frame of the classroom. "Rebecca?"

She looked up and breathed a sigh of relief, quickly moving to the door. She really didn't need anymore awkward, forced conversation between her and her teacher.

Sherry was in tow, smiling warmly at Rebecca. "We were thinking about going off campus for lunch today. You know, get a break from everyone and everything."

The boy nodded in agreement, squeezing his girlfriend's hand. "We figured it'd be kinda relaxing for you."

"...yeah. Yeah that actually sounds really nice." Rebecca smiled weakly, brushing her hair behind her ear.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Ada drifted through the lunch room, dark eyes moving from one side to the other of the Cafeteria, slowly. Scanning for her prey. Then she saw her, back turned to her. She didn't even speak, simply reached out and twisted her hair into the girl's pale locks. She jerked her head back in one swift motion, causing the mayor's daughter to give a shriek.

Ashley's hands flew up and clutched onto Ada's wrists, fake fingernails digging into her skin. Her eyes rolled around wildly as she tried to see what was happening.

"What the fuck! Get the fuck off of me!"

"Now now, innocent little girls shouldn't speak in such a way," She snarled, twisting her long fingers deeper into Ashley's hair. She jerked away from Ada's grasp. Ada looked for a moment at the loose hairs tangled in her fingers and gave a smirk. "I know a nasty little secret about you, Ashley."

The girl began to rise from her seat, visibly shaking. Her eyes were wide. She was in shock – what warranted this attack out of nowhere?

"What the fuck are you talking about? I'll have you arrested on bat-"

"You gave my boyfriend an STD. You slept with him, and you gave him an STD."

"-On battery, and Daddy will sue you for defamation of character!" Ashley continued, raising her voice. She swallowed hard. "I'll have you suspended – no, expelled from this school!"

Ada pushed her and the smaller girl fell onto the lunch table and cried out in pain. She glared daggers at her for just a mere moment more before she turned on her heel and left the building. She already knew she was going to get in trouble, she just wanted to retreat somewhere to calm down before then. ...though she would admit, that she felt much better now.


	47. Rescue

Disclaimer: Resident Evil doesn't belong to me and I haven't made any money off of this story.

Author's notes: Yay for new characters!~ I am in serious love with Piers Nivans and Jake Muller from Re6. Also oh my god, Sherry's all grown up (and apparently a cougar. Totally interested in younger guys!~) I don't know how this all will affect these kids yet. We'll have to see how it all turns out with time :) I hope my style hasn't changed too dramatically. Warnings this chapter are for language, mostly. Maybe a little bit with sexual content. Anyways. Please enjoy!

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"Miss Wong," Principal Wesker spoke as he looked at her over her permanent record. "Due to the circumstances, I am afraid I am going to have to suspend you."

Ada said nothing, staring at the wall behind the blonde man's head. She knew she was in trouble. She knew her parents were going to punish her. At the moment, though, all she could think about was her hatred for Ashley and her anger for Leon. How _dare_ he cheat on her.

"But I see that you have had no other incidents on your permanent record. You have good grades, and you participate in extra curricular activities... so while I have to suspend you, I am able to give you a shorter sentence because it's your first offense. I will be giving you two days suspension and community service."

The girl nodded, still saying nothing. She wished she beat down Ashley harder. She deserved it. She was sure that there were other people that would agree.

"I have taken the liberty of calling your parents. They are going to take you home. Please gather your things and sit in the hallway."

She stood, grabbing her purse and backpack. She stayed silent, stepping out into the hallway. She closed Principal Wesker's door behind her. She saw Ashley sitting in the nurse's office from here. She grit her teeth. All she wanted to do was punch her again. Harder, this time. An STD_ and_ her first suspension. Ashley deserved it. She needed to learn that just because her Daddy was an elected official didn't mean she could get away with whatever she wanted.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Chris tossed his sister his keys. He had football practice after school and Claire was ready to go home. She said something about studying for a test, but he was doubtful of that.

"Just be careful." He warned. He watched her walk away before heading to the locker rooms himself. He just had to change into his uniform before he could join the others on the field. He was, about to open the heavy door to the gym when he heard yelling. He frowned. It sounded like a fight. He strained his ears for a moment. Just behind the gym, it sounded like. Boys fighting. He could hear lots of yelling and shouted slurs. He broke into a run, skirting the outside of the building until he saw the boys. There was a group of them, six or so guys surrounding another boy.

"Why don't you take that scarf off? You look like a fag."

"Yeah, where's your _boyfriend_?"

"Look, his fucking nails are manicured. What a fucking loser!"

Chris frowned. "Hey, leave him alone." He growled, taking a step towards the boys. The one in the middle looked familiar, Chris thought they had a class together.

"Why should we? Fags need to get put in their place."

"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Chris growled. "Why would you ever treat anyone like that?" The Redfield took another step towards them. Both of his hands were clenched into fists and his chest was puffed out. He didn't want to have to get in a fight. He heard Ada Wong got suspended earlier for fighting earlier that day and he didn't want to risk it. "Just let him go." He watched in vain for a moment as one of the bigger boys grabbed the brunette by his collar and force him to the ground. His face looked red and swollen already. He could see that there was a bruise under one of his eyes.

"Why, are you his boyfriend?" One of the guys sneered.

"So what if I am!?" Chris yelled back. "You gonna leave him alone? Or do I have to make you? Because I will." He threw his backpack down.

"Make me."

Chris nearly snarled, grabbing the guy on top of his classmate by his collar and pulling him up.

_"Holy shit._" He heard one of the other boys say. "That's Chris Redfield."

"Are you going to leave him alone?" Chris repeated, staring at the younger boy. The bully hesitated momentarily before dropping his head in defeat.

"Yeah, whatever. We'll leave him alone."

Chris let go of him, letting him stumble to his feet. The group dispersed quickly, leaving only the smaller boy in the middle. His clothes were covered in dirt. Chris bent down, offering a hand to help him up.

"You okay?"

The boy took his hand. He didn't smile. "... yeah, I'm okay."

"You sure? You look a little beat up."  
"...I'm sure." He fumbled to grab his own backpack. He ran a shaking hand through his hair. "Happens at least once a week."

"...I'm Chris." He said after a moment of awkward hesitation.

"Yeah, I know, we have study hall together." He murmured, dusting off his pants. "... I'm Piers. Piers Nivans."

Chris smiled and held out his hand again. "It's nice to meet you Piers. Formally, I mean."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Claire sunk into her favorite arm chair at home. She turned the TV on and found something interesting on TV. Opened a cold soda. She had told Chris that she wanted to study for a test but in reality she just wanted to be home alone for a while. It had been a busy day.

She heard Ada Wong had gotten suspended from school for beating up Ashley Graham. She didn't particularly care for either girl, given the circumstances, but had felt a little better than she had in days when she heard about Ada's STD. She deserved it and Claire was glad that she hadn't stayed with Leon. Once a cheater, always a cheater. Steve had been the right choice.

She felt a pang of sadness and guilt followed by the sting of loneliness. She missed Steve. Seeing him hadn't helped at all, if anything it made it worse. All she wanted was to be back with him. She wondered if he would even take her back. Maybe if she begged and pleaded. She sighed, drinking down half of her soda.

The TV played in the background as she looked through her phone. It was 3:30. Chris would likely be at football practice for another half an hour minimum. She didn't want to deal with Leon for obvious reasons. She knew that Rebecca was likely dealing with too much to want to listen to her problems and that Sherry was tired of listening to people complain. Her fingers hovered over Steve's contact information. The picture next to his phone number was his grinning face. She shook her head, backing out of the app. She nearly jumped when she heard the door open.

"Claire," It was her brother's voice. "I'm home."

"I thought you had football practice." She called back, putting away her phone. She was glad that she would have a little company, even if it was just her older brother.

"Yeah well, I had to skip it." He walked into the living room, a younger boy following him. He looked a bit beat up.

"Woah, what happened?"

"Claire, this is Piers. I had to scare off some bullies that were picking on him. Piers, this is my younger sister Claire."

"I got beat up." Piers said lamely. "... Chris wouldn't let me walk home alone."

"I just told him that I would get him fixed up and give him some ice or somethin'." Chris said, already filling up a plastic bag with ice for the younger boy. "Would you mind getting a few bandaids and some peroxide or something from the medicine cabinet?"

Claire nodded, rising to obey Chris' instructions. She couldn't help but smile. Her brother was a good guy. "Yeah, I'll be right back."

She re-entered the living room with their small first aid kit, a few cotton balls and a warm washcloth. His nose had been bleeding a bit. She could see spots of dried blood on his tan scarf. She handed the washcloth to him, grabbing a stool to sit in front of him. His left cheek was bruised and a bit scraped up, his eye a bit bruised and puffy. He didn't look too bad aside from that and his nosebleed.

"Why were they picking on you?" She asked, wetting one of the cotton balls with the peroxide. She reached up, dabbing it across his cheek. She saw the little white bubbles form and watched him wince.

"It's not the first time I've gotten beaten up."

"Why though?" Claire frowned, watching him.

"I'm gay," He responded, his tone not wavering.

"That's a stupid reason." She murmured softly, taking one of her bandaids and gently pressing it over one of the cuts on his cheek.

"...you think so?" Piers looked to Chris. Chris nodded in agreement with his sister as he handed the younger boy the bag of ice wrapped in a towel. Piers found himself smiling. A lot of people his age weren't so accepting of the fact that he liked boys. "...thanks."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Sherry curled into Brad's chest, listening to his heartbeat. All of the stress with dealing with Rebecca and Richard and Joseph was starting to get to her. She had a pounding stress headache. Brad's fingers were pressed gently against her temples, rubbing in small circles.

She didn't say anything, just enjoying his touch, being pressed up against him. It was enough to know that no matter how hectic the world got around them, she could always sink into his arms and everything would be okay.

She kissed his neck gently. And again. She kissed her way up to his ear and took the lobe into her mouth, tongue flicking it lightly.

Brad's hands stopped, dropping to her waist.

"S-Sherry-"

She kissed him on the mouth softly, her eyes closed. She slid a hand through his soft hair, enjoying the way it tickled her palm.

"I love you," she murmured softly against his ear. He smiled, squeezing her close.

"I love you too, Sherry." He placed a kiss lightly on her forehead.


	48. Jealousy

Disclaimer: Resident Evil isn't mine. I am making no profit from this.

Author's notes: Actually getting off my butt and doing some writing this year! Have I mentioned how thankful I am for new chararacters in the RE series? Because sorry but Sheva wasnt interesting enough... thanks for all of your views and reviews! I really do appreciate them. Also prepare yourself for some more crack pairings, because ClairexLuis wasn't enough.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Claire's computer chair creaked as she sat at her desk. She had an essay that was due in a few days and knew it wouldn't get done if she spent too much time procrastinating. (She already had a C- in that class and she needed a good grade or it would dip to a D and Chris would give her hell for it.) She wasn't planning on finishing it today, but figured there was no harm in starting. Maybe just a paragraph.

She pulled up her social media sites, 'just to check her messages' before she started on her homework. She scrolled down her news feed page lazily, one hand on the keyboard with the other clasped around the mouse. She clicked 'thumbs up' on a few of the posts, and smiled at a cute comic. Towards the end of the 'new posts' page, she saw something that made her heart sink.

**Steve Burnside is in a relationship with Helena Harper.**

__Claire's mouth was suddenly dry. Heart thumping hard in her chest, pangs of jealousy spreading through her body. She knew she might have to deal with this at one point, but so soon? And just who the fuck was Helena Harper? She clicked on her name. Her profile said she went to a private school. Her profile picture showed her smiling at the camera, her teeth even and white. She was wearing some ugly school uniform, a grey vest with a patch on the breast pocket. Her hair was frizzy. She wasn't very pretty, Claire decided.

She clicked back to Steves profile. His picture had previously been of Claire and him together. Now it was just him from a bad angle, lopsided smile plastered on his face. Tears, hot in the corners of her eyes. She clicked the newest album of pictures. 'Helena and Me (23)' with a stupid sideways heart. The first couple was of them with their faces smooshed together, some smiling and some making stupid faces. Then pictures of them kissing. Claire felt ill. The rest of the pictures seemed to be of food with captions like 'yummy dinner that my hunny made me :)' and the like.

_So fucking stupid._ She thought. Why did he post these? There was no reason to take pictures of your food with a low quality camera phone and post them to social media. It was a waste of time. She exited out of the browser, shaking now. She pulled open her word document and stared at it for a moment. Her stomach hurt. She knew she couldn't get any work done feeling like she could vomit at any minute.

She nearly threw herself on the bed, tears still burning her eyes. How dare he – without even taking her off his friends list – what a douche. Capital 'D'. She lay face down on her bed, cool fabric of her pillows pressed against her hot skin. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

"There's no reason to get this upset." She said aloud. "They're just pictures." She noticed her voice was shaking. Her mouth was still dry. She rose, rubbing the tears from her eyes.

Upon entering the living room, she found Piers doing his homework at the kitchen table. Chris wasn't around. It wasn't uncommon for Piers to be at her house after school. He had been over nearly every day this week. Usually Chris stayed, but she assumed that he had gone out with Jill.

"Hey Claire."

"Hey." She cleared her throat, getting a can of soda from the fridge. She averted her eyes from him.

"How's that paper going?"

"I got distracted." She popped the can, sighing with the satisfying _hiss_ it made.

He looked up and frowned when he saw her red puffy eyes. "By what?"

"U-Uh." She took a big gulp of her soda. "...Steve's online profile. He's got a new girlfriend." She tried to seem as nonchalant as she could.

"Oh man."

"...yeah, whatever." She shrugged. "You know how it is. Boys."

"Yeah... You okay?"

"Yeah. Of course."

"You sure?" He put his pen down, looking up at her.

"...no. Her lip started to quiver. "That asshole posted a bunch of pictures without removing me as his friend first. ...my chest kinda hurts." She admitted. "She's ...this private school skank." She was almost surprised at the amount of harshness in her voice as she slumped into a chair beside the boy.

"When you talk about him, you get this look in your eyes. ...like someone killed your dog." Piers said. They had talked about him a bit. For some reason she felt more comfortable confessing her feelings to Piers than she did to Jill or Chris. "You still love him don't you?"

"Of course I do!" She nearly threw her arms up in exasperation. "I mean... he was my first, and we've been through a lot. It kills me to see him with that girl. And you know what? She's ugly too."

"I know how hard it is to see someone you care about be with someone else." Piers patted her arm lightly.

She nodded, silent.

"Have you talked to him?"

"No. Briefly. When we picked him up from the hospital."

"Why was he the at the hospital?" Piers frowned.

"He broke his hand. Told me and Chris that he punched something really hard because he was pissed off about something, but he wouldn't say what. He was really vauge." She took another gulp of her soda.

"You think he's over you?" He questioned, watching her.

"Yes." She rolled her eyes. "She's dating that girl now."  
"You said you went on a date with that Spanish guy. Luis right?"

"Yeah but I came home because it felt _wrong._ Like I kept expecting to see Steve instead of him."

"But you're not over Steve."

"...I don't get it." Claire shook her head.

"Well, look, you said that he posted a bunch of pictures, right?"

"...right."

"So I'll tell you what I think," Piers tapped his pen absently on the table. "I think that he still loves you."

"Really?" A sharp pang shot through her heart.

"Yeah." A half smile from the boy. "Like you said, you two have been through a lot. I don't think anyone can get over a relationship like that so quickly. I think that he just wants to make it seem like he's over you."

Claire nodded, biting her lower lip hard.

"...so, If you want to give my theory a shot, I might have an idea."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Are you sure you don't need to be home right now?" Jill asked, looking at her boyfriend across the diner table.

"Claire's there. Piers is a good kid. I trust him."

"If he's such a good kid, why did you beg me to come out with you for food when you have plenty at home?" She pointed a finger at him as she stirred sugar in her iced tea.

Chris groaned, chewing on a french fry. "I mean... he's a good kid. He's not interested in my sister. So that's a plus. But he's just been … _there._ Yano? He's like a puppy. Following me home every day and wanting to spend passing periods together. I just needed a break. Wanted to see you." He grinned at Jill.

Jill smiled, reaching over and stealing a fry from his plate. "Maybe he likes you."

"Naw." Chris laughed. "I think he just doesn't have anything else to do. Anywhere else to go. He gets threatened a lot." He rolled his eyes.

"I guess." Jill shrugged, sipping on her tea. "Sounds like he's got a crush on you, to me." She smirked softly at her boyfriend.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Steve sank into Helena's couch. She had changed out of her school uniform and into a pair of jeans and a top that just barely showed her flat stomach. Her parents made her join swim team. Four days a week she had to swim before school and it kept her in great shape.

Her house was much nicer than his. It was bigger, and all of the furnishings seemed to be higher quality. Leather couches. Shiny wooden floors. Big screen TV. He wouldn't consider her rich (He had seen the Ashford's house. _They _were rich.) But he knew she had more money than his family.

"Do you want to watch a movie?"

Steve eyed the stacks of DVDs under and beside the 40 inch flatscreen before nodding. "Yeah. A movie sounds good. Got anything scary?"

He saw Helena smile. "Scary? Like what, zombies? Slashers?"

"Yeah." Steve smiled back.

She stood up, running her fingers down the spines of several movies before she stopped and pulled one from it's place. "How about 'Feast'? It's zombies. One of my favorites. Lots of gore."

Steve smiled. He learned new things about Helena every day. She didn't look like the type of girl who was into horror movies. "...yeah. That one."

She popped the disk in and Steve admired her round backside. For someone who worked out as often as she did, her butt was pleasantly plump. And he liked that.

She joined him back on the couch as the dvd started. She seemed to be sitting closer to him now and he wasn't complaining. He stretched his arm over her shoulders. He smiled inwardly when she didn't protest, and instead placed her hand gently on his knee. He pulled his phone out as the opening credits started.

_ 'Cuddles and horror movies with my girlfriend – great after school date.' _He posted as his status update, smirking to himself.


End file.
